LIBRARY OF THE 

UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION. 



Division _ 

Shelf. No 

PRESENTED BY 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



PRESENTED BY 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 




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MEDITATIONS. 

with Prayer, 



FOE EVEEY DAY IN A MONTH. 



MARY CARPENTER. 

AUTHOR OF 

' fclX MONTHS IN INDIA," "OUR CONVICTS," "JUVENILE DELINQUENTS,' 

ETC., ETC. 




London 

LONGMANS, GREEN & Co., PATERNOSTER ROW. 

BRISTOL : 
I. ARROWSMIT tf , 11 Q UA Y STREET. 



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ADVERTISEMENT. 



A PEESENTATION EDITION of this Work is 
printed on thick Royal 8vo. Drawing Paper, 
with. Carmine Border to each. Page, and sup- 
plied at the following Prices : 

In Sheets (for binding) ------ 7/6 

Whole Bound in Calf (red edges) - - - 13/- 
Handsomely Bound in Morocco (gilt edges) 20/- 

BRISTOL : 
I. AKKOWSMITH, QUAY STREET. 



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First Edition. 



FIRST OFFERING 



LOVE AND GRATITUDE 



THE MEMORY 



REVERED FATHER, 



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v~- 



Ftrortb Edition. 



CONSECRATED 



BELOVED PARENTS, 



NOW UNITED 



HEAVENLY MANSIONS. 



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Fifth Edititm, 



THE MEMORY 



ALL MY BLESSED ONES 



WORLD OF SPIRITS, 



THIS VOLUME 



IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED. 



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PREFACE. 




'HIS work was published anonymously above 
twenty years ago, without the prayers. It 
was prepared with a view to assist in that 
private meditation on the Scriptures which 
will make them to the heart of each indi- 
vidual profitable for edification, strength and comfort, 
and which is the best preparation for private prayer. 
A cheaper edition, for popular use, was prepared by the 
author's brother, the Eev. P. P. Carpenter, with the 
addition of prayers, chiefly his own. These have been 
introduced into the present and previous edition, with 
some selected and written by the author. 

The hopes entertained in the original preparation of 
this little volume have been fully realized ; — it has met 
the religious wants of persons of all denominations ; — 



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tfl — — — -& 

X. PREFACE. 



it lias comforted the mourning hours and solaced the 
dying bed of many ; while it has been the closet com- 
panion of numbers, without respect of creed ; — the spirit 
knows no such distinction, when in felt communion 
with its Maker. 

May such be still its blessed mission ! 

Bed Lodge House, 

Bristol, June 18, 1868. 




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■a 




INDEX OF AUTHORS. 



The Pieces marked * have not before been published. 

The Hymns marked f are derived from " Hymns for the Christian 
Church and Home," edited by the Rev. J. Martineau. 



First W 



EEK. 



Sunday 

CI 

Monday 
it 

Tuesday 

Wednesday 

Thursday 

tt 

Friday 
« 

Saturday 



Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 



PROSE. 

*Dr. Tuckerman 
*M. C 

Dr. Tuckerman 
♦W.James 

C. Wellbeloved 

*M. C 

*M. C 

*Ii. L. Carpenter 
*Dr. Carpenter 

*M. C 

•Iff. C 

*E. L. Carpenter 

*M. C 

*K. L. Carpenter 



POETRY. 

Sir J. Bowring. 

+J. Montgomery. 

Anonymous. 

J. Montgomery. 

B. Barton (altered). 

Newton. 

Anonymous. 
+ Wesley. 
*Dr. Tuckerman. 

Anonymous. 

Merrick. 
+Heber. 

J. Taylor. 

Dr. Carpenter. 



43-- 



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XII. 



INDEX OF AUTHORS. 



■a 



Sunday Morning 

" Evening 

Monday Morning 

Evening 

Tuesday Morning 

Evening 

Wednesday Morning 

" Evening 



Thursday 



Friday 



Saturday 



Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 



JSecond Week. 



*M. C . ... 

*M. C 

Dr. Tucker man 

Dr. Channing 

H. Ware 

Jer. Taylor 

C. Wellbeloved 

*M. C 

•Mrs. S. Bache 

*M. C 

F. W. P. Greenwood 

*M. C 

*E. L. Carpenter ... 
*M. C 



M. C. 
*M. C. 

J. Montgomery. 
*Dr. Tuckerman. 

Christian Examiner. 
tQuarles. 

Wesley. 

Anonymous. 

Mrs. S. Bache. 
-t-Toplady. 
*Dr. Tuckerman. 

Sir J. Bowring. 
tMilman. 

Wesley. 



Jhird Week. 



Sunday Morning 

" Evening 

Monday Morning 

Evening 
Tuesday Morning 

" Evening 

Wednesday Morning 

" Evening 



Thursday 



Friday 



Saturday 



Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 
Morning 
Evening 



E.Watson 

*M. C 

•Dr. Carpenter 

F. W. P. Greenwood 
Dr. Tuckerman 

*M. C 

•J. B. Estlin ... 

*M. C 

*Pi. L. Carpenter 

*M. C 

•M.C 

•M. C 

•M.C 

R. Watson ... 



*Dr. Tuckerman. 
•It C. 

J. Wesley (translated 

from Gerhardt). 
•Sir J. Bowring. 

H. Ware. 
+ Wesley. 
•J. B. Estlin. 
+Heber. 
+Hemans. 
•M. C. 
tGerhardt. 

H. Moore. 
»M. C. 

Mrs. Fisher. 



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t 



INDEX OF AUTHORS. 



XIII. 



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Fourth W 

Sunday Morning ... J. Martineau ... 

M Evening ... *M. C 

Monday Morning ... *M. C 

" Evening ... *M. C 

Tuesday Morning ... B. Watson 

" Evening ... *Dr. Carpenter 

Wednesday Morning ... *G. Armstrong... 

Evening ... *M. C 

Thursday Morning ... *M. C 

" Evening ... *M. C 

Feed ay Morning ... *P. P. Carpenter 

" Evening ... *E. L. Carpenter 

Saturday Morning ... H.Ware 

" Evening ... *B. L. Carpenter 



EEK. 



... + Breviary. 

... G. Bulfinch. 

... *M. C. 

... tJ. Montgomery. 

... fJer. Taylor. 

... J. Taylor. 

... {-Newton. 

... Sabbath Eecreations. 

... +J. E. Oberlin. 

... tHemans. 

Sir J. BovvTing. 

... G. Bulfinch. 

... Doddridge. 

... Dr. Carpenter. 



f 



ARTICULAR 



P 



CCASIONS. 



Invitation to the Lord's 

Supper 

Preparation for the 

Lord's Supper 

Meditation at the Lord's 

Supper 

Meditation after the 

Lord's Supper 
Christmas Day 
Good Friday ... 
Easter Sunday 
Ascension Day 
The Saviour's Promise... 
In Case of Severe Illness 

In Case of Death 

Last Day in the Year ... 
The Living Temple ... 
Praver 



Jer. Taylor. 
Jer. Taylor (altered). 
*M. C 

*E. L. Carpenter ... 

A. A. Livermore ... 

*M. C 

*M. C 

*M. C 

*M. C 

Farr 

*P. P. Carpenter 

H.Ware 

*M. C. 

*J. Martineau. 



■B- 



+J. Montgomery. 

J. Eowe. 
tHemans. 

Milman. 
f Anonymous. 

M. C. 
*L. Sanford. 

C. Eichardson. 

Heber. 

H. Hutton. 



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a- 



XIV. 



INDEX OF AUTHORS. 



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f 



OETICAL 



JA 



EDITATIONS. 



Sonnet 

Ursa Major ... 

Summer's Evening Meditation 

Address to the Deity 

Ode to Immortality 

Aspiration 

Dedication 

Joy 

Sorrow 

Guardian Angels ... 

The Departed 

Sonnet on John xv.. 12 

Nearer to Thee 

*' Abide with us" 

Lead, kindly Light 
Hvmn of Praise 



Blanco White. 

H. Ware. 

Mrs. Barbauld. 

Mrs. Barbauld. 

M. C. 
*M. C. 
*M. C. 

M. C. 

M. C. 
*M. C. 
*M. C. 

Anonymous. 

Mrs. S. A. Adams. 

Lyte. 

Anonymous. 

B. Carpenter. 



Prayep^s. 



BY THE AUTHOR 
Page 27, 50, 65, 77, 119. 124, 129, US, 165, 274. 

BY THE LATE REV. DR. LANT CARPENTER. 
Page 173, 213, 229. 



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INDEX OF PEOSE MEDITATIONS. 



PAGE. 

Lamentations iii., 40. — Let us search and try our ways 1 

Luke xxiv., 3G. — Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, &c. ... 7 

Psalm xix., 2. — Day unto day uttereth speech 10 

Job xxxv., 10. — God, my Maker, who giveth songs in the night ... 15 

Genesis xxii., 14. — In the mountain Jehovah will provide 20 

Psalm cvii., 7. — And he led them forth hy the right way 24 

Matthew v., 7. — Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be 

comforted 21) 

John xvi., 7. — It is expedient for you that I go away 33 

Tsalm xlii., 11. — Why art thou cast down, my soul, &c 36 

Isaiah xxvi., 3. — Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. &c 40 

Matthew vi., 23.— If therefore the light that is in thee be 

darkness, how great is that darkness! 44 

John xxi., 17. — * * Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? ... 48 
1 John iv., 20. — He that loveth not his brother whom he hath 

seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 52 

Luke vii., 50. — Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace 57 

Psalm xvi., 11. — In thy presence is fulness of joy. &c CI 

Revelation xxii., 1. — And he shewed me a pure river of water of 

life, &c GO 

1 Thessalonians v., 17. — Pray without ceasing 70 

Philipfians iv., 7. — The peace of God which passeth all 

understanding 75 

1 John v., 5. — Who is he that overcometh the world, &c 78 

John iv., 14. — Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give 

him, &c 83 



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XVI. INDEX OF PEOSE. 



PAGE. 

Genesis xvi.. 13. — Thou God seest me ^7 

Hebrews xiL, 9. — The Father of spirits 01 

John xi.. 36. — Then said the Jews, -re how he loved him 95 

Isaiah six.. 15. — la quietness and in confidence shall be your 

strength 100 

2 Corinthians v.. 7. — For we walk by faith, not by ^irh: 103 

Jeremiah xxxi.. IS. — Turn thou me and I shall he turned ... 10S 
::.. 50. — And he. easting away his garment, rose and came 

to Jesus 113 

£:i:ans xiii.. 10. — Love is the fulfilling of the law 11G 

Revelation xxi.. 4. — And God shall wipe away all tears from 

their eyes, Arc 120 

Hebrews viL, 16. — * x * Endless life 120 

Matthew xix.. 20. — What lack I yet? 130 

John xv.. 5. — For without me y nothing.. 131 

Romans xii.. 12. — Continuing instant in prayer 139 

Psalm xviii.. 1. — I will love thee. Lord my strength Ill 

Psalii xxiii.. 1. — Though I walk through the Valley of the 

Shadow of Death, &e US 

Psalu lxxviii.. 25. — IVfan did eat angels' food ... 153 

Mark iv., 39. — - x "Peace be still l" &c 157 

John xi., 28. — The Master is come, and calleth for thee 102 

Phtlippians i.. 12. — Butlwonldye should understand. Sec. ... 1GG 
Luke x., 21. — Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said. I thank Thee, 

O Father! 171 

Psalm exxxvii.. 4. — How shall we sing the Lord- song in a 

strange land ? 17 5 

Revelation xiv.. 3. — An 11 sang as it were a n store 

the throne 179 

Ephestaks ii.. 10. — Fellow-citizens with the - 1S3 

.John xii., 7. — Then said Jesus. *'Let her alone."' Arc 1S3 

Psalm iv.. G. — Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance 

upon us 199 

Mask xi.. 11. — And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the 

temple, etc 198 

Zechaeiah vi., 12. — * Behold the man whose name is 

Branch, &c 202 



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INDEX OF PROSE. XVII. 



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PAGE. 

Psalm civ., 24. — O Lord, how manifold are Thy works 200 

Psalm cxxxi., 2. — Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as 

a child, &c 211 

John xiii., 31. — * * ' " Now is the Son of Man glorified," &c. 214 

Hebrews xi., 34. — Out of weakness were made strong 218 

Luke xxii., 42. — Father, if Thou be willing remove this cup from 

me, &c 221 

Matthew xxvii., 51. — And behold ! the veil of the Temple was 

rent in twain, &c 220 

Luke xxiv., 32. — Did not our hearts burn within us?" &c 232 

Philipplans iii., 13, 14. — Brethren, I count not myself to have 

apprehended, &c 230 

Acts i., 9 — A cloud received him out of their sight 240 

Lord's Supper, Invitation to the 247 

" Preparation for the ... 240 

" Meditation at the 254 

" Meditation after the 258 

Christmas Day, — Luke ii., 13, 14.—* * * " Glory to God in 

the highest," &c 201 

Good Friday, — John xix., 30. — It is finished 20(5 

Easter Sunday, — Eomans vi., 4. — That like as Christ was raised 

up, &c 271 

Ascension Day, — Luke xxiv., 51. — * * * he was parted from 

them, &c 2?(> 

The Saviour's Promise, — Matthew xxviii, 20. — Lo, I am with 

you alway, &c 280 

In Case of Severe Illness, — Matthew xxvi., 29. — O my Father, 

if it be possible, etc 28G 

In Case of Death, — 1 Thess. iv., 13. — * * that ye sorrow not 

even as others who have no hope 29] 

The Last Day in the Year, — James iv., xiv. — What is your life? 205 
The Living Temple, — 1 Cor. iii., 10. — For the temple of God is 

holy, whose temple ye are 20U 

Prayer :>{):{ 



[ a -Ep 



iff 



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INDEX OF POETET. 



Abide with me! Fast falls the even tide 

Abraham heard : believing God 

According to Thy gracious word , 

And is he with thee ? question well thy heart 
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve 

Behold the gospel mercy seat ! 

Blest is Thy presence. Lord ! while lowly bending 
Bound upon the accursed tree 

Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day 

Come, ye who mourn, and dry your tears 



PAGE. 

330 
21 

256 

•283 

•237 

59 

04 

268 

273 

30 



Descend, my spirit ! Eest in humble peace 
" Descend to thy Jerusalem, Lord ! " ... , 



08 
204 



L 



Father of our feeble race! 

Fear was within the tossing bark ... ., 
Fountain of life and living breath ... ., 

From the recesses of a lowly spirit 

From the table now retiring 

Give to the winds thy fears 

God, my strength, to Thee I pray 

God of my life, and Author of my days ! 

Go to dark Gethsemane 

Go when the morning shineth 



Do 
150 

-4 
110 
259 

109 

45 

310 

♦200 

12 



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a-- 



INDEX OF POETRY. XIX. 



PAGE 

Hallelujah ! best and sweetest 186 

Hath not thy heart within thee burned 234 

How sweet the words, and how benignly spoken 130 



I asked the Lord that I might grow 

I love thee, Sorrow 

If love the noblest, purest, best 

In the Cross of Christ I £lory 

Is there a lone and dreary hour 
Jov '? whence art thou ? 



20 

328 

228 

02 

320 



. kin dly Light, amid "the circling gloom 337 

Lord, it is not life to live 101 

Lord! we sit and cry to Thee 114 

rn not for those who slumber in the land 177 

My God, my Father, while I stray 223 

Thy boundless love I praise 173 

Mysteri as Night! when our first parents knew 30G 

Nearer, my God, to Thee 334 

Night is the time for rest li; 

O Christian ! to thy vows be true 151 

O for the winged seraph's power to soar 123 

O hand of bounty, largely spread 1.;;, 

rd! Thy heavenly grace impart 21:J 

O lovely voices of the sky 203 

O Thou ! in sovereign majesty enthron*d 105 

O Thou, to whose all-searching sight 132 

Oh! why cast down, my soul 

On the first Christian Sabbath eve 8 

Onward and upward, Heavenly Father, bear me 324 

Praise ye the Lord ! 

r is the soul's sincere desire Tj 

Quiet, Lord, my froward heart 212 



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XX. 



INDEX OF POETRY. 



■a 



" See how lie loved ! " exclaimed the Jews 

See our risen Lord ascending 

See the grateful sister bending 

Sing, Christian, sing ! for you alone ... ... 

Sinner, the Master is come ! 

Sorrow and darkness fled away 

Speak with us, Lord, Thyself reveal 

Spirit of Love, that shrined in Jesus shone ... 
Strike, strike my lyre, the solemn notes of woe 



PAGE. 

97 
278 
191 
181 
164 
128 

88 
335 
319 



The hour must come ! — the closest ties 242 

The mighty God who rolls the spheres , 209 

The morning dawn'd, but no bright glorious sun 195 

The saints on earth and those above 34 

The year hath passed away 297 

The veil of death hides thee from mortal sight 332 

Thee will I love, my strength, my tower 117 

There is a calm the poor in spirit know 41 

They bear me up, Father, unto Thee 332 

Though sorrows rise, and dangers roll 50 

Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee 293 

Thou hidden love of God, whose height 146 

Thou, who didst stoop below 80 

Thou, whose high praise in heaven and earth is sung 3 

'Tispast! The sultry tyrant of the south 312 

To prayer, to prayer, for the morning breaks 141 

To Thee, my God, to Thee 325 

When sorrow sinks my spirit down 288 

With pains, and anxious cares, and griefs oppress'd 70 

AVi tli what a stately and majestic step 307 




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cfr 



■a 



MORNING AND EVENING MEDITATIONS. 



Fif^st Week. 
SUNDAY MOENING. 



Lamtmtatitms iii. f 40. — Let its search mil try 
xxuv toratjs* 




HAVE finished the stage of another week in the 
; journey of my life ! Where have I been within 
^tkat "week ? "With whom have I communicated by 
conversation or by letter ? What have I done ? By 
"& what principles have I been guided in all my inter- 
course; in every transaction? What has been the character, 
and what the tendency of my thoughts ? Have I been kind 
in every disposition; just in every feeling I have indulged, 
and in every judgment I have formed ; pure in every 
desire ; upright in every purpose ; true in every word, 
and faithful to my sense of duty in every action ? my 
Father, Thou knowest my heart, help me also to know 
it ! I would judge myself by that rule of duty to Thee, to 
my own soul, and to my fellow-beings, which Christ has 
given, and by which I am at last to be judged before Thee. 



4 



a 



FIRST WEEK. 



When and where have I been faithful? What have I 
neglected which I should have done ? When, where, and 
how have I transgressed Thy commandments ? 

I have entered upon a new week. What may this week 
be to me ? What is before me even in the passing day ? 
How deep the darkness which hangs over even the passing 
hour ! And from whence and why is this darkness ? 
Thou who art light, and who dwellest in everlasting light, 
with Thee there is no uncertainty respecting either time or 
eternity. Where, then, Father, shall I look for direction, 
or for security, but to Thee ? I will walk, Father, I will 
live by the faith that Thou art, and that Thou art the 
rewarder of them that diligently seek Thee. I will make 
it my care every day, and in all things, to enjoy and to 
endure as seeing Thee who art invisible. help me in 
all my ways to acknowledge Thee, and in all to endeavour 
faithfully to obey Thee, that Thou mayest direct m} r steps ! 
Eternal adoration and thanksgiviDgs be given Thee for 
him, Thy holy Son Jesus, who died to redeem me and all 
from all iniquity, and to purify to himself a peculiar people, 
zealous of good works. that from this hour, no sin 
might ever triumph in my heart, or have any dominion 
over me ! Father, I would live by the faith, that it is 
better, infinitely better, to enter into Thine eternal king- 
dom, and to be an heir of the Christian's blessedness, 
at the cost of any present self-restraint, self-denial, or 
self-sacrifice in the cause of duty and Thy will, than to 
attain any attainable or conceivable good of earth and 
time, at the expense of the violation of even a single 
Christian principle. Whatever my hand or my heart shall 
find to do under the promptings of conscience, and the 
guidance of Thy will, I would do it with all my might. 



tQ- 



tr 



r& 



SUNDAY MORNING. 



"zr 



I would be zealous for spiritual growth: for spiritual 
mindedness ; for the attaiument of the spirit of Christ, — 
the mind that was in Christ. Like him, I would make 
it my meat and drink to do all Tliy will, and to finish all 
the work Thou hast given me to do. In sympathy with 
Jesus, I would look upon every human being as my 
brother, — the child of our Heavenly Father ; and whatever 
I would in any relation, condition, or transaction, that any 
one should do to me, that will I endeavour faithfully to do 
to him. With these purposes and prayers in my heart, 
I welcome and bless Thee for this day, sacred to my 
soul by its associations with him who died, and rose again, 
and brought life and immortality to perfect light. May 
all the exercises of this day strengthen me in the prin- 
ciples of my immortal well-being! Thus may this day 
be made to me a preparation and pledge of an eternal rest, 
an eternal day, with Thee and Christ, and the spirits of 
the just made perfect; and Thine, Father, shall be the 
glory for ever ! 



«fe- 



Thou, whose high praise in heaven and earth is sung, 

Each heart pervading, timing every tongue : 

Thou, whom my soul devoutly would confess 

In joy's bright hour,— nor in affliction's less : 

Whose mercy in the sunshine and the storm 

Alike is active. — whose invisible form 

Bides in the hurricane; — Thou, whose depths profound. 

And heights sublime, not earth nor heaven can sound : 

Infinite power, and goodness without bound ! 



^Z 



FIKST WEEK. 



^ 



Thou unseen cause, conductor, end of all, 

We know Thee not, — yet God and Father call. 

We know Thee not. — but know and feel Thou art ! 

Our eye can see Thee not; but, Lord! our heart 

Is touched as with Thy spirit, and even now 

I feel Thee, — feel Thee in this holy glow. 

A peace which none but Thou could'st give inspires 

My bosom : heavenly aspiration fires 

My towering thoughts. God ! what breath but Thine 

Could kindle aspirations so divine ! 

Benignant condescension ! that Thy ray 

Should send its brightness through a clod of clay. 

And raise to Thy abode, — to Heaven, — to Thee. — 

The poor, weak children o f mortality ! 

Thus privileged, let my spirit-rousing thought, 

Which vainly seeks to praise Thee as it ought, 

Pour forth its humble strains. Eternal Lord ! 

Thy majesty might crush the embryo word 

With its gigantic j>resence : but Thy love 

Gives it a voice, and wafts its tones above. 

Grant me. Eternal One ! Thy light to cheer. 

Thy hand to guide me. while I journey here: 

Thy grace to help. Thy peace my soul to fill, 

And sorrow's storni may thunder if it will. 

I am supported by Thy holy arm, — 

The cloud may burst,— -but 0. it cannot harm. 

I say not. " Shield me, Father, from distress," 
But, -'Wake my heart to truth and holicc-s. 
I a^k not that my earthly course may run 
Cloudless, but. humbly, '-Let Thy will be done."' 
The peace the world can give not nor destroy, 
The love which is the greatest, and the joy 
That's given to angels, — to perceive and own 
That all Thy will is light and truth alon . 
And bliss-producing ;— these, and such as these, 

mine; the vain world's riveting vanities, — 
Pomps, pleasures, riches, honours, glory, pride, 
La by man's p<_-rvor?er.ess deified,) 

ct gl 



a 



SUNDAY MORNING. 



I envy not. — Do Thou ray steps controul, — 

Erect devotion's temple iu ray soul : 

And there, my God! ray King! unrivaU'd sway 

So let existence, like a Sabbath day, 

Glide softly by; and let that temple be 

A shrine devoted all to truth and Thee. 



P E AY E R 

Oue Father which, art in heaven ! Once more Thou 
hast blessed me to see the light of a Sabbath morning. 
One more week of toil, of strife, of joy, or of anxiety, — 
one more week given for holy discipline, — has closed upon 
me ; and Thou hast awakened me from sleep, with my 
powers renewed, and Thy mercies repeated unto me. 
Blessed be Thy name for this peaceful and holy change 
from accustomed duties ; and for the opportunities I may 
have, this day, of studying Thy word, of searching into 
Thy dealings, and of doing Thy will. How rich was Thy 
love in sending Thy Son Jesus, that all, that even I, might 
be saved! Truly, Father, I have been dead in tres- 
passes and sins. I cannot look back even on the past day 
and week without feeling how much has been wrong 
within me : and when I call to mind the length of time 
that I knew not Thee, and cared not for Thee, my heart 
is bowed down with sorrow. But as Thou didst raise 
Jesus froni the dead by Thy mighty power ; even so may I 
also walk in newness of life. May this Sabbath be to me 

t Er 1 



eb — a 

6 FIRST WEEK. 



a clay of rest from fierce temptations; a day of growth 
in the knowledge of Thee, a day of active zeal in Thy 
service. Bless to me all its scenes and duties ; bless the 
efforts of all who teach Thy word, and do the deeds of 
loving faith ; and draw ns all closer together in the bonds 
of pure affection. May this clay mark within me a stage 
of progress in the christian life ; a stage of advancement in 
qualification for the Christian's heaven. Grant this, and 
whatever else Thou seest needful for me, for all dear to 
me, and for Thy whole church, through our ever blessed 
Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 




43- — ff 



-r: 



SUNDAY EVENING. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 



LttliD xxir. t 36. — Jostrs btmssli* stotrd m the midst of 
ttam, and aaith trnta ttom, " Jfsass to tmto ijnn." 




J =^E S ! there is, indeed, peace, when our Saviour 
c?S|fJA is with us, — when he awakens in our souls a sense 

c- j j£) °f the presence of our Heavenly Father ! 
£^r^ But without him can there be peace? Even if the 

r ^ J stores of mind open to the fascinated understanding" 
treasures unbounded, and excite the imagination to 
its loftiest nights, can there be peace in the soul, if God is 
not there, — if the spirit of our Saviour is not with us ? 
And can the most exquisite beauty and tranquillity of 
nature breathe peace into that soul which has excluded 
from itself, by sin, the peace of God ? 

Yet, if Jesus is with us, his presence alone gives peace. 
It bids us hope to be one with him, as lie is with the 
Father ; it warns us to drive from the temple of our hearts 
all impure things, which may interfere with the worship of 
Him who is a Spirit ; when weary and heavy laden with 
the weight of sin, — the burden of the flesh, — it teacheth 
us how to call upon Him who rejecteth not the prayer 
of the penitent, and will save unto the uttermost, thos 
that come unto Him with true purpose of heart : it shows 

•fe- -4 1 



f 



FIRST WEEK. 



us how one, who was like unto us in all thing?, save 
without sin, overcame the world, by living after the power 
of an endless life ; it places before our eyes the brightness 
of the Father's glory, — a glory in which even we may be 
sharers. 

And this heavenly being calls us his Brethren. We 
know that he was made like unto us in trials, temptations, 
and sorrows; we trust that we may. like him. be made 
perfect through suffering. We pray that he may be with 
us to the end of our mortal lives; and that we may begin 
an immortal one with him in the Heavenly Mansion, in the 
presence of his Father and our Father, of his God and our 
God. 



On the first christian Sabbath eve. 

When his disciples met, 
O'er his lost fellowship to grieve, 

Nor knew the Scriptures yet: 

Lo ! in their midst a form was seen, 

The form in which he died, 
Their Masters marred and wounded mien, 

His hands, his feet, his side. 

Tli en were they glad their Lord to know, 
And hailed lam, yet with fear: 
again thy presence show! 
Meet thy disciples here : 

In our midst! — let faith rejoice 
I I ;r risen Lc rd to vi 
And make our spirits hear thy voice 
Say, — "Peace be unto you!" 



<&- 



4 



SUNDAY EVENING, 



And while with thee, in social hours, 
We commune through thy word, 

May our hearts bum, cau! all our powers 
Confess,— "It is the Lord!" 



P E A Y E R 

Our Father ! Thou art the author of peace, and lover 
of concord. In knowledge of Thee standeth our eternal 
life. Thy service is perfect freedom. Thine be the praise 

for the mercies of this peaceful day. Thine be the praise, 
if Jesus has been in the midst of us, when we have been 
gathered together in Thy name. And in Thy name I 
would close the Sabbath. How sweet it is to lie down 
to rest, and to think that Thy watchful love attends us! 
How soothing is the thought that nothing can come to 
us without Thy appointment ! Thou hast given me a day 
of holy thoughts and purposes : now give me, if it please 
Thee, a week of peaceful and steady labour ; and fit me for 
it with refreshing slumber. Thou hast this dav riven me 
oil to feed my lamp : may I keep it burning brightly, with 
humble watchfulness. If I have been inattentive or care- 
less this day ; if I have not made the most of its blessed 
hours ; lead me to a godly sorrow, and pardon me through 
Thy forgiving love in Christ. If its hours have been spent 
in holy communion and holy service, fix in my heart the 
movings of Thy spirit ; so that no curtain of darkness may 
ever fall upon my soul. And when the resting days and 
the working days of earth are over, may I keep a perpetual 
Sabbath, with all I love, in the heaven of purity and 
peace and joy. I ask it through our beloved Saviour, 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

tfe & 



eg Eb 

10 FIRST "WEEK. 



MONDAY MORNING. 




^salm xix., 2. — Bay tmta xlay trttersth spssctr. 

^ITH the eye and affections of one who net only 

a knows but feels that a God of love and wisdom is 

<h?/^\the Creator of all, what beauty and order do we 

^V not everywhere behold! How much do we not 

see to cherish the sentiment, that He is in all 

and over all, and to call for the offering of praise 

and prayer? 

Does winter hold its triumphant reign, freezing the air, 
binding in its chains the springs and rivers, spreading 
its snows, staying the current of vegetable life, and com- 
pelling all that breathe to seek for shelter from its 
influence ! ' ' Summer and winter, fire and hail, snow and 
vapour, and stormy winds fulfil Thy word." Do we see 
the animals at the stream quenching their thirst, or enjoy- 
ing the abundant provision which is made for their 
support? "They are Thy care, God, and their suste- 
nance is from Thy liberal hand." Does the sun rise to 
enlighten and warm the earth, to give a season for labour, 
to gladden all that live by his cheering influences, and 
to give a new spring to the vegetable creation? Do the 
clouds refresh the ground with their shade, and enrich 

* -gr 



MONDAY MORNING. 11 



-$ 



it with their showers? Do the moon and stars give a 
glory to the night, even greater than we see in the bright 
light of day? Does the return of darkness bring with 
it a time of rest, not less necessary than food for ourselves, 
and for all the creatures about us? " Thine, Father, are 
the darkness and the light, the sun and the stars, the clouds 
and the rain." Yes, every drop in the vast ocean ; every 
particle of this globe on which we live ; every creature, 
and every thing we behold, is God's ; for He made them, 
and by Him they are every moment preserved. 

Do we see evidences of wisdom in the law and courses 
of nature ? " Thine is the work, infinitely wise and 
eternal Mind!" Are we astonished at the displays of 
power which we behold? "Thy power, God, like Thy 
wisdom, is infinite." Do we everywhere behold a parental 
providence? "It is Thy goodness, my Father; and I 
will bless Thee for Thy bounty to them that cannot thank 
Thee." 

Thus does every thing around us, the great and the 
minute, the wild and the cultivated, the delightful and the 
terrific, preach to us of God, and touch a string in the 
pious heart, which vibrates devotion. God is so associated 
with all these objects in the mind of a pious man, that 
wherever he may be, and whatever his employment, the 
sight of them recalls the thought of God; and with the 
thought, a correspondent emotion and affection, which is, 
to Him who sees the heart, far more acceptable than the 
most pompous and costly offering. 



[ a a? 



\Sr ■ — — -Eb 

12 FIRST WEEK. 



Go -when the morning shineth, 

Go when the moon is bright, 
Go when the day declineth, 

Go iQ the hush of night; 
Go with pure mind and feeling, 

Fling earthly thoughts away, 
And, in thy chamber kneeling, 

Do thou in secret pray. 

Remember all who love thee, 

All who are loved by thee ; 
Pray, too, for those that hate thee, 

If any such there be; 
Then for thyself in weakness, 

A blessing humbly claim. 
And link with each petition 

The great Redeemer's name. 

Or, if 'tis e'er denied thee 

In solitude to pray; 
Should holy thoughts come o'er thee 

"When friends are on thy way: 
E'en then the silent breathing 

Of thy spirit raised above, 
"Will reach His throne of glory, 

"Who is mercy, truth, and love. 

Oh ! not a joy or blessing 

With this can we compare, — ■ 
The power that He hath given us 

To pour our souls in prayer! 
"Whene'er thou pin'st in sadness, 

Before His footstool fall, 
Remember in thy gladness, 

His grace who gave them all. 



q^_ _gj 



Er 



MONDAY MORNING. 13 



PEAYEE. 

I will remember, Father, Thy tender mercies and 
Thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old, 
They are renewed every morning : they are increased 
continually. I joyfully bless Thee for all the tokens of 
Thy love. I thank Thee for my renewed power to labour : 
and for the glory thou hast offered to me, of being a 
fellow-worker with Thee through the Lord Jesus. May 
I then do nothing but Thy work. However lowly my 
service, may I render it as to Thee, and not to men. May 
I minister to the wants of others in every form of love ; 
and bear their burdens in every form of patience. May 
the remembrance of the past Sabbath hallow the scenes 
of the week, and help in overcoming its temptations. To 
Thee I would consecrate myself anew, now that it is 
opening on me. May its days be spent in cheerful toil, 
and its times of repose be hallowed by the consciousness of 
Thy loving presence. May my conversation be such as to 
adorn my Christian profession. May I be the means of 
edifying those with whom I meet. Help me, blessed 
Father, to show a firm integrity, a simple truthfulness, 
a holy purity, and an unwavering faith. May a sense 
of Thy extreme and unmerited goodness be a constant 
motive to me in my struggles. May Thy spirit dwell 
within me, and inspire me with strength and love and 



^ 



"*-t=r 



rfl a 

14 FIRST WEEK. 



wisdom. Help all those who are striving after holiness ; 
and be an especial support to such as are tempted and 
distressed. And when, by Thy grace, I have done and 
borne Thy will on earth, take me to my Home, Father, 
and unite me again to those most dear ones, whose love 
Thou hast here given as my greatest. treasure. And Thine 
be the fulness of our praise, through Jesus, our holy 
ilediator. Amen. 






4 B 3 



MONDAY EVENING. 15 



-a 



MONDAY EVEXIXG. 




Jtrb xxxi;., 10.- fikxxl, uiij l^laktr. txrto yhrBth songs 
in thB night. 

=)ES ! the declaration is as true as it is beautiful, 
that God, our Maker, giveth songs in the night. 
'In the wakeful and weary hours, when no eye can 
<? witness the strife within, when no human voice can 
- speak a word to steady the spirit in its wanderings 
and imaginings, He can impart peace and strength 
to His children, and enable them to rejoice even in tribu- 
lation. With Him the night shineth as the day ; and in 
both seasons He is equally present to aid and comfort. 
And happy are they who, in their night-musings, are 
thus favoured. Xo instrument of human melody is half 
so soothing, or can so powerfully move the heart-strings 
and wake the notes of praise. We find many interesting 
and striking examples in Scripture, of the enjoyment of 
these songs in the night. Jacob was thus favoured ; and 
was enabled, as he raised his head from the stony pillow on 
which he slept, to say, " this is none other than the house 
of God, and the gate of Heaven." David was similarly 
privileged. " I remember Thee," he observes, addressing 
the Almighty, " upon my bed, and thought of Thee when 
I was waking!" " my God," he again exclaims "my 

c 5 & 



16 FIRST AVEEK. 



soul is cast down within me ; therefore will I remember 
Thee ; deep calleth unto deep at the voice of Thy water- 
spouts ; all Thy waves and billows are gone over me. Yet 
the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the day- 
time, and in the night His song shall be with me." 

Our blessed Lord himself was no stranger to these 
songs in the night, which often refreshed and comforted 
him. In the night of Gethseniane's agony he was thus 
favoured : and amidst his uu paralleled sorrow, celestial 
consolation was vouchsafed, and an angel strengthened 
him. We read, too, of Paul and Silas, that when they 
were thrust into the inner prison at Philippi, for their 
boldness in preaching the Gospel, at midnight, strong in 
the blessed supports of their faith, they made their 
dungeon resound with the praises of God, and were com- 
passed about with songs of joy and deliverance. 

Upon our night watchings also is the wakeful eye of 
Omniscience. TTe may thus commune with the Deity, and 
find comfort in the recollection that we are covered with 
the wing of His providence ; and that He is present as our 
upholder and guardian. "God our Maker, giveth songs 
in the nicrht." 



t- 



Night is the time for rest: 

How sweet, when labours close, 
To gather round an aching breast 
The curtains of re] 
Stretch the tired limbs, and lay the head 
Upon our own delightful 1 



i=r 



;r-a 

MONDAY EVENING. 17 



Night is the time for dreams; 

The gay romance of life ; 
The truth that is, and truth that seems, 
Mix in fantastic strife ; 
Ah ! visions less beguiling far 
Than waking dreams of daylight are. 

Night is the time for toil ; 

To plough the classic field, 
Intent to find the buried sj)oil 
Its wealthy furrows yield; 
Till all is ours that sages taught, 
That poets sang, and heroes wrought. 

Night is the time to weep ; 
To wet with unseen tears 
Those graves of memory, where sleep 
The joys of other years; 
Hopes that were angels at their birth. 
But died when young, like things of earth. 

Night is the time to watch 

O'er ocean's dark expanse. 
To hail the Pleiades, or catch 
The full moon's earliest glance, 
That brings into the home-sick mind 
All we have loved and left behind. 

Night is the time for care ; 

Brooding o'er hours misspent, 
To see the spectre of despair 
Come to our lonely tent, 
Like Brutus, "midst his slumbering host, 
Summoned to die by Csesar's ghost. 

Night is the time to think ; 
When, from the eye, the soul 



_ 

18 FffiST WEEK 



Takes flight, and, on the utmost brink 
Of vender starry pole. 
Piscerns beyond the abyss :' night, 
The dawn of uncreated light- 
Night is the time to praj : 
Our Saviour oft withdrew 
To desert mountains far avray; 
So will his followers do, — 
Steal from the throng to haunts tmtrod, 
And commune there alone with Gfc 1, 

Night is the lime for death: 
When all around is peace, 

Calmly : yield :L^ parting breath, 

From sin and suffering cea-T. 

Think of Heaven's bliss, and give the sign 

arting friends: — such death be :aine! 



PEATER 

Thou, our Heavenly Father, art drawing the veil 
of darkness over whatever is beautiful in Thy- works, as 
well as over whatever is corrupt in the workings of human 
passions. If I am fatigued with the day's labour, now 
Thou invitest me to rej se. If I have been harassed 
with the day's tumult, now Thou givest me peace. If the 
business of the world has tempted me to forget Thee, n 
Thy still small voice speaks within me : and I call to mind 
that Thou hast not forgotten me one moment of this d 

r^ gj 



cfh— — -Q] 

MONDAY EVENING. 19 



but hast been guarding me continually from clangers seen 
and unseen. Father! pity my weakness, and pardon 
my transgressions. In my feebleness, be Thou my strength. 
I am about to lay myself down on the helpless bed of 
slumber; but Thou art the source of every help. If it 
please Thee, refresh my body and my mind with rest. If 
I dream, may no unholy imagination defile my soul. If 
I be watchful, let my thoughts be of Thy love. When all 
is hushed around me, may I search and try my ways. 
"When the mortal senses are inactive, may my spirit more 
clearly discern Thy blessed presence ; and thus be drawn 
closer to Thee, the Home of my affections and hopes. 
Into Thy hands I commit myself, and all I love ; through 
Jesus Christ my Redeemer. Amen. 




4 ^ 



$ — 

J 20 



FIRST WEEI 



"~? 



TUESDAY MORNING. 



Siurssis xxii. 14, — Jtt tto ui:Tu:ita::i Jrhnrali irill 

(SO TRANSLATED IN WELLBELOVED'S BIBLE.) 




T is hardly possible to conceive of a trial more 
severe than that by which the Divine Being proved 
^_ - "AjPltis servant Abraham's faith, and closed that pe- 
/O cvdiar o: u:\se oi' discipline by which he had so long 
been exercised. Yet, strong in faith, he hesitated 
not to] obey the severe injunction, "Take thy son, 
thy only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go unto the 
land of !Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering 
upon one of the mountains, of which I will tell thee." 
The event justified and rewarded his faith. In the moun- 
tain Jehovah did provide. 

These things have been treasured up. and handed down 
to us through the lapse of ages, for our example and 
encouragement. Let us learn hence the duty and wis 
of obedience to the will of God, into whatever ciroums: 
of apparent danger or of real distr y lead us. It 

will require, no doubt, much care and caution to deter: 
in every instance, what the will of God respecting us 
ma}' be, and to avoid the illusions of fancy or enthus: 
but having, with becoming care and diligence, song' 



™ 



-^ 



- 



TUESDAY MOENING. 21 [ 



linovr vrliat God requires of us, whatever difficulties may 
oppose, whatever alarm may threaten, it will be incumbent 
on us to persevere in the way of duty opened by his 
providence before us ; assured that His power will in the 
end reward our exertions, and recompense the temporary 
losses we may sustain. Abraham believed in God; and 
through a dark and perplexing scene, implicitly followed 
the command of God. Had he any cause to repent ? Did 
He who imposed the trial fail to support and reward him ? 
Many since his days have, in the severest tribulation, 
adhered to the path of duty. TTe revere their piety ; we 
admire their fortitude ; we rejoice with them in their 
consolations and their reward. Let us go and do likewise. 
"In the mountain Jehovah will provide. 7 ' He will not 
leave nor forsake us : om strength shall be equal to our 
day : light shall spring up out of darkness ; and, in God's 
own time, every trouble and perplexity shall be removed, 
and our recompense shall be exceedingly great and 
glorious. 



Abbah&u heard : believing God, 

Duty's onward path fa fa 1; 
Trusting Hi::: wh se ild bless, 

Won the meed of right* n ness. 

Christian pilgrim. Zionward, 

True disciple of thy Lord ! 
May his spirit to thy heart 
Kindred faithfulness impart. 

Thou may'st hear a voice within ; 
Lot that ttention win ; 



l£] -ft 

22 REST WEEK. 



Doubt not. fear not, trust its word ; 
Follow on to know the Lord. 

At His bidding, sacrifice 
More than country's, kindred's ties; 
These may still be spared to thee, — 
Let thy heart thy Master's be. 

Daily, hourly, labour there ; 
Waitiug, watching, unto prayer: 
Wait to know thy Master's will : 
Watch and pray, and do it still. 

Faithful to the end endure : 
Then thy calling shall be sure ; 
Then, whene'er thy Lord shall come, 
Death shall only lead thee home ! 



PEAYEE. 

Almighty Father, who causest the sun to rise and 
shine, and niakest the day, I bless Thee for preserving 
me in peace and safer}' during the defenceless hours of 
sleep; keeping me living in the land of the living; and 
once more awakening my powers of body and of mind for 
my various duties. Accept, I beseech thee, my morning 
incense of praise, and grant that, under a sense of Thy 
Fatherly goodness, I may this day render willing obedience 
to all Thy known commandments. Give me strength equal 
to my day. Save me from falling into sin and running 



4~ 



# 



TUESDAY MORNING. 




■a 



into danger. Enable me to keep in innocence, and may 
integrity preserve me. And during this day, and every 
day of my life, may I have a conscience void of offence 
towards Thee and towards man. May Thy blessing rest 
upon this household. May we be faithful and true, affec- 
tionate and kind, one to another, bearing one another's 
burdens, and so fulfilling the Saviour's law of love. Over- 
look our unworthiness, Father ; forgive the sins into 
which any of us may have fallen. Prepare us for all 
the measures of Thy wise providence. May we not desire 
prosperity unduly, nor fear adversity beyond measure : but 
in all seasons and all changes, may we rely upon Thy 
grace and mercy, through faith in Jesus Christ Amen. 



cy — ff 



r* 



FIRST WEEK 



-a 



TUESDAY EVENING. 




1]/ 




Psalm crii., 7. — 3- ml Hr< led them fxxrtto frg the 

riijht rrau. 

P 1 ^)Y Father! may I ever humbly follow in Thy 
, >f way ; may I ever trust, with the full assurance 
">/?} of faith, that it does lead to Thy heavenlv 
kingdom. 

It is often very narrow and perplexed, and 
I cannot see where it is leading me : broad and 
easy paths turn out from it, and many tempt me to walk in 
them ; yet, though the guiding light of Thy holy word may 
be half obscured by the mists of the valley, if I fix my 
eye steadily upon it, it will become brighter and brighter : 
I shall see my way clearly in this seemingly intricate road, 
and even discern at the end of it the entrance to Thy 
heavenly mansion. 

Sometimes, my Father ! Thou dost take from us all 
our props and supports on the way ; we say in our 
hearts that there is none to help us. While we travelled 
happily together, we forgot that we were only strangers 
and pilgrims ; now Thou takest the beloved ones from 
us, that we may fly to Thee only for help ; we cry unto 
Thee from the depth of our sorrow, and Thou dost come 



B- 



-EP 



■a 



TUESDAY EVENING. 



Thyself with Thy beloved Son to make Thy abode with us. 
We thought that we should have fainted by the way, 
yet now we are even stronger than before. We go on our 
way rejoicing, and see that Thou didst lead us aright. 

But yet again, my Father ! when I have been striving 
to find out Thy way, and to walk in it aright, I am some- 
times suddenly plunged into deep and stagnant marshes, 
from which I seem unable to extricate myself; or a fierce 
whirlwind is around me, — I am tossed to and fro, — my 
senses are confused, and I know not whither to go ; or 
a thick gloom is on my soul ; the light that is in me 
is darkness; I cry aloud, "Help, Lord, or I perish;" 
yet the wirlwind ceaseth not, — the darkness becometh still 
more fearful. Father! though I see Thee not in the 
storm of fearful passions, though I perceive not Thy hand 
guiding me in the thick darkness of my own soul, the 
storm cometh from Thee, and it is Thou who permittest the 
gloom to fall on me, that I may afterwards listen with more 
humble trust to the still small voice of Thy love, — that I 
may fix a more steady gaze on Thy own pure light. 

My Father! may I ever have this firm confidence, 
that Thou dost lead me by the right way ! May nothing 
separate me from the love of Thee ! Then, whatever 
troubles encompass me from without or from within, my 
heart shall not fail, for it shall rest on the Rock of Ages. 



m ff 



a- 



26 



FIRST WEEK. 



■ft 



I asked the Lord that I might grow 
In faith and love, and every grace ; 

Might more of His salvation know, 
And seek more earnestly His face. 

'Twas He who taught me thus to pray, 
And He, I trust, hath answered prayer; 

But it has been in such a way 
As almost drove me to despair 

I thought that in some favoured hour, 
At once He'd answer my request. 

And, by His love's constraining power, 
Subdue my soul and give me rest. 

Instead of this, He made me feel 

The hidden evils of my heart; 
And made the angry powers of hell 

Assault my soul from every part. 

Nay, more : with His own hand He seemed 

Intent to aggravate my woe; 
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed; 

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low. 

"Lord! what is this?" I trembling cried; 

" Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death ?" 
" Tis in this way,'" the Lord replied, 

" I answer prayers for grace and faith. 

" These inward trials I employ, 

From self, from pride to set thee free ; 

And break thy schemes of earthly joy, 
That thou may'st find thy all in Me." 



ft 



-EP 



TUESDAY EVENING. 27 



PEAYEE. 



my Father ! lead me on, lead me ever where Thou 
would st have me to go ! Lead me where Thou wilt, for 
I know that Thy ways — thine only — can lead to heaven ! 
Father! in my blindness, and my ignorance, and my 
self-will, I often seek to go my own way, and I am 
hindered, and then I fret; open my eyes, I pray Thee, 

Father! that I may see that it is Thy hand which is 
restraining me in mercy, to bring me into the right way 
again ; and let me lovingly kiss that hand. Or, when I 
have been following Thy guiding pillar, I have suddenly 
beheld a stormy sea of troubles before me, and fierce 
enemies behind armed for battle ; my faith has well-nigh 
fainted, and I have cried "Who shall deliver me? 7 ' 
God ! Thine arm is never shortened that it cannot save ; let 
me still go on fearing nothing, for Thou can'st lead me 
safely through the roaring waves, my weakness shall be 
made strong in Thee ! And when I am hungering for the 
bread of life, give Thou it me, Thou only can'st, from 
heaven Thy dwelling place; when my soul is thirsting 
for the waters of life, strike Thou the barren rock, 
and let the full stream of Thy grace be ever with me as 

1 wander through the wilderness. Then shall it blossom 
with divine beauty, — then, with my soul subdued by 

t£ # 



Y 



28 WEST WEEK. 



Thy love, and led onwards by Thee as a little child by 
its father, I shall travel joyfully onwards, until from 
Pisgah I behold that long promised land, and then;- Thou 
fcakest me to Thyself, and to the level one- "ho are 
gone before to the mansions which the Saviour has pre- 
pared for us. 

Thou nearest us always. Father ! may I be ever 
Thine. Amen. 






WEDNESDAY MOBXIXG. 



29 



WEDNESDAY MOEXIXG. 




ii-latt. tr., 7. — Blessed are then that uiimrn. fur flretj 
shall Tib sxxmforted. 



not all mourn in this world of sin and misery ? 
The proud do not mourn, for they set self aboYe 
sorrow for sin, or afflictions from without. The 
selfish do not mourn, for they only fret at what 
Yexes or wounds their own narrow being. 

But there are many that mourn — many that 
sorrow after a godly sort. There are those that humbly 
mourn under the chastening hand of a Father, who af- 
flicteth not willingly His children ; — they shall be comforted. 
Their hearts will be weaned from a changing world, and 
indissolubly bound to that which changeth not : for where 
our treasure is. there will our hearts be also. And from 
those blissful abodes, rays will shine on their hearts ; a 
purer flame will be kindled within them : they will see 
their Father's loYe in all ; the world around will glow with 
new beauty: and they will be comforted; — their souls 
are blessed. 

Others there are that mourn over evils caused by the 
sinfulness of man : they will be led by them to purify 
themselves from all pollutions of the flesh, that they may 

m ■ 

ck ■ ~ 



re a 

30 FIRST WEEK. 



lielp their brethren onward ; and, turning their highest 
powers to this great object, they will, by degrees, see 
seeming evil still producing good in the hands of an 
infinitely wise and benevolent Being, and will justify the 
ways of God to men; they will at last learn, in some 
measure, to see everything as God sees it; they will per- 
ceive that all is very good ; — they will be comforted. 

But others mourn in greater depths of sorrow. They 
have within them the divine life ; yet they feel that it 
is no longer pure and without spot before God ; they sin so 
often, and after so many warnings, so many resolutions, 
that they hardly venture to believe that the spirit is truly 
willing. Yet this sorrow, almost overwhelming as it some- 
times is, may subdue the proud spirit; — it may lead us 
to take the yoke of Christ upon us, and then He will give 
us rest ; it may help us to purify our souls by doing the 
will of God. Will not sorrow then be blest, however 
grevious it may have been ? Shall we not own the gra- 
cious hand which strikes that it may heal, — which afflicts 
that we may be comforted ? 



C031E, ye who mourn, and dry your tears, 

And let your sorrows cease ; 
For lo ! the Son of Man appears, 
To calm the sufferers anxious fears, 

And soothe his soul to peace. 

Come, ye who mourn a sinful choice, 

Come and efface the stain ; 
For lo ! the blest Redeemers voice 
Bids every contrite heart rejoice, 

And whispers peace again. 

cy_ fjl 



tb 

WEDNESDAY MORNING. 31 



Come, ye who mourn with woes opprest, 

And cast your cares behind : 
Come, lean upon your Saviour's "breast. 
Ami hush the anxious soul to rest, 

And calm the troubled mind. 

Come, ye who weep departed friends, 

Come, all to sorrow driven ; 
Lo ! o'er the grave hope's rainbow bends, 
Whose beauty from the earth extends, 

And reaches up to heaven. 



PEAYEE. 

Thou, Father, despise st not the sighings of a contrite 
spirit. Thou knowest what is in my heart, and where 
my chief desires and affections are centered. that they 
may ever be, where in my best moments I wish them 
to be ! Weaken within me those earth-born emotions that 
deaden the holier feelings of my soul. When tempted 
with evil thoughts and wrong passions, may I have 
strength to cast them out, resolutely directing my mind to 
the blessed truths of the Gospel. May I look upon each 
hour as a special gift from Thee, and employ it in the 
duty that Thou didst design for it. May each pleasure 
and mercy Thou sendest, be a new tie of gratitude to 
bind my heart to Thee. May I find that labour for Thee 
is rest in Thee. May trials from Thee become helpers 



— " 



f 



FIRST WEEK 



to Thee. If gloom should be hit portion, and the work of 
my duty should be hard : if my affections should go forth, 
and meet no return ; if the objects of my care should 
fail me, and disappointment and anxiety becloud my path : 
even then, blessed Father, may my faith in Thee be strong. 
yea stronger. Then may I rind myself nearer to Thee : 
happy in Thy favour ; and full of joy because I am counted 
worthy to share in our Saviour's sufferings. And when 
the work of faith is over, may the fulness of love be 
the portion of my soul, in the home of the Father and 



the Son. Amen. 



<«<o. 



-_L~ 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 33 



ft 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 




Jtito xrh, 7. — It is axpsxtteirt tor ijxxu that I gxx arrau. 



T was for many reasons best for the disciples 
SijL that their Lord should be removed from them ; 
7>^p but never was his image to be erased from their 
hearts. The memory of the just is blessed, the 
righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance. 
He only went away to be with them more completely. 
When he was personally present he was often misunder- 
stood, and his lessons failed, in many instances, of their 
due influence. "When he was gone, they lived the last 
year over a°;ain. His words now were received into irood 
ground ; those worldly desires which choked the good seed 
were torn away ; and abundant fruit showed the heavenly 
nature of the plant and the goodness of the soil. It was 
itself a mournful event that he should depart from them, 
but he did not leave them comfortless; they were sorrowful, 
but their sorrow was turned into joy; they beheld him 
no more, but the holy spirit, which the Father sent in 
his name, taught them all things, and brought to their 
recollection whatever he had said unto them. Once Jesus 



t-- 



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f 



34 FIRST WEEK. 



abode \cffl< them, .' he abode ' tliem ; once his form 
cheered their eyes, now his presence gladdened their hearts. 
Ir was no less true than wonderful, that with the departed 
they could enjoy a closer communion than with those who 
were present with them. Instead of the friendship of 
dying men. it was now the fellowship of immortal spirits. 



The saints on :..::'_ find those at ve 
But one communion make; 

ined to their Lord in bonds of love. 
All his grace partake. 

One tan:i>. v.-e Ivrell in mm, 
• ae chni :".. al re, I eneath ; 
Th agh d w divided by the stream, — 

Hit :.-..:: : "' stream : d iath. 

: rmy < : the living Gk .;. 
To His conunand we I ::>vr; 
Part f the host have a : ; ^e I the flood, 
And part are Tossing now. 

L< ! th jus d Is I th ::: en iless hoi a 
Are swiftly borne a 

re to tl rgi ;me, 

And - ast ] ranch as t" y, 

\v constant guide: 
. ■ ' Thy i : . is .-: en. 

cold flood its Lde, 

in I eaven- 



a ■ 



1 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



^ 



PRAYER 

Evkb blessed Father ! "While, in niv ignorance and 
frailty, I think that good which, is not good ; while I 
sometimes implore a corse instead of a blessing; Thou 
knowest what is really for my highest good, and in Thy 
love Thou sendest me Thy chastenings. Often have my 
prayers been answered in a way that I expected not ; but 
always, I am humbly confident, Thou dost answer, in 
Thine own good time, and in Thine own most excellent 
way, every prayer that is offered in the spirit of the 
Saviour's trust and obedience. I rejoice that, while every- 
thing on earth fades away ; while one by one, those ties 
are broken which bind me to this present world : while all 
i me uncertain, and I know not even what a day 
may bring forth ; I am enabled to say that there is One 
whose mercy never changeth. Hallelujah, for the Father 
omnipotent reigneth ! Oh, may my heart be open, to 
perceive the end of Thy dealings towards me. !Make me 
more holy, more heavenly. May my life be hid with 
Christ in Thee. May I lay my treasures in the mansions 
above. May I be ever watchful and humble, that I 
may receive the teachings of Thy Spirit, aud live closely 
with Thee. And when thou takest me from my earthly 
home, may I find an eternal home in the enjoyment of 
Thy love, with all the holy ones whom the Saviour has led 
to Thee. Accept me, I pray Thee, blessed Father, through 
Thy redeeming mercy in Christ Jesus. Amen. 



*&-- ff 



e- 



HE ST WEEK, 



UJ 



THUESDAY MORXIXG. 



Psalm xlii.. 11.— Wlrij art than cast rloicrr, nru 
a mil, and trlrij art than ilis quieted tritlrirr m?- ? 
Hope tlmit in Grtxd. 

=[= -^HY art tliou cast down. my soul, and why art 
thou disquieted within me '? ; ' Does thy dejection 

^S'ZiS spring from the consciousness of great imper- 
fection in thv religious character: of wrono; 



-IB 



% - habits not yet subdued : of wrong dispositions 

too ofren exercised: of i; talents wasted, time misspent ?" 
Dost thou feel apprehensive lest thou shouldst fail of 
reaching the promised inheritance ? Dost thou lament 
thy limited usefulness, thy inability to accomplish, the 
purposes which thy benevolence prompts thee to form ? 
Dost thou mourn for good resolutions which have vanished 
like the morning cloud or the early dew ? Dost thou 
reflect with distress on negligence in the work assigned 
thee : or impatience under the afflictions with which thy 
Father has visited thee ; or the little progress which 
thou hast made in subjecting thy desires and dispositions 
to the law of God ? Dost thou fear lest thy fortitude 
should be unable to resist the temptations and the diffi- 
culties which surround thee ; or lest thy principles should 
prove too weak to withstand the constant influence of 



4u 



4, 



t 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



T 



present interests and cares and pleasures, which tend to 
cheek or stop thee on thy progress heavenward? Cer- 
tainly thou hast room for caution, but not for despair. 
Blessed are they who mourn with godly sorrow, for they 
shall he comforted. Do not forget that thou art in the 
hands of a wise and gracious Parent, who knoweth our 
frame, who remembereth that we are but dust; that as 
a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them 
that fear Him. Our unallowed defects and imperfections 
should indeed render us watchful and humble ; but they 
should not exclude the cheering rays of divine mercy. 
The promises of the gospel, while they afford no hope to 
the impenitent and disobedient, give the best consolation 
to the weary and heavy laden. I cannot doubt the mercy 
of God, for it rests on His own gracious declaration. His 
sacrifices are a broken spirit ; and most assuredly a broken 
and a contrite heart He will not despise. Let me then 
here, in the hour of holy retirement, lay open my heart, 
with all its wants and weaknesses, before Him who can 
read the lansruasfe of the silent tear : who needs not the 
aid of words to understand my secret aspirations after 
obedience to His will, — after the spirit of Him who hath 
trodden before us in the path of holy obedience. He, 
who in ways, which, perhaps, we cannot fully understand, 
communicates His gracious aid to those who humbly and 
steadily seek His favour, will answer my habitual suppli- 
cations with strength in temptation, and with guidance 
in moral perplexities, such as they cannot know, who, 
through high ideas of their own firmness and strength of 
principle, restrain prayer before God, and lean not on 
the rock of their salvation. AVhy, then, art thou e 
down, my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me ? 

t- ^ 



38 FIRST WEEK. 



Hope thou in God ; the God of grace and of all conso- 
lation ; the Almighty Guardian of those who love and 
fear Him ; the gracious Being who will make it well with 
them here and well with them for ever. Let me seek His 
favour and His gracious succour with full purpose of heart. 
Let me not sink under difficulties, but lean on His powerful 
arm. Let me be sober, and watch unto prayer ; and thus 
my end will be full of peace and hope. 



Oh! why cast down, my soul? 

Oil! why despair? 
Why murmur at thy lot 

Of grief and care : 
Through every scene of pain. 
Let not thy heart complain, 
For peace will yet remain 

If God be there. 

The glorious morning's light 
Dawns bright and fair ; 
But soon the heavens grow black, 

The lightnings glare. 

Yet the red lightning's way, 

And the sun's cheering ray, 

The self- same love display, 

For God is there. 

Then welcome, my soul ! 

The will divine ; 
And to Almighty love 

Thyself resign. 
Since love divine appears 
To wipe away my tears, 
And banish all my fears. 

His will be mine ! 



a- 



THURSDAY MORNING, 



39 



im 



PEAYEE. 

My Father ! If weeping enduretli for tlie night, Thou 
sendest joy with the morning. How can I resist the tokens 
of Thy love ? My heart must indeed be dead, if I can see 
thy hand creating all things new, and spreading a fresh veil 
of beauty over thy works, and doubt of Thy loving kind- 
ness unto me. I will take the cup of salvation, which 
Thy Son holds out to me, and call upon Thy name. And I 
ask not, Father, what shall be within that cup. If it be 
filled with disappointment or anxiety or pain or privation, 
still thou hast prepared my lot, and I would meet it trust- 
fully. Even as the Saviour prayed unto Thee, " Thy will 
be done." Oh give me strength to bear it and to do it. 
Suffer me not to remain under the bondage of fear ; but 
give unto me the healthful spirit of Thy grace, — the spirit 
of love, of joy, and of a sound mind, If I sorrow, let it 
be after that godly sort, which shall draw my soul nearer 
to him who, for my sake, was acquainted with grief. If 
I am glad, may my happy powers find their appointed 
work in cheerful service, bearing the burdens of the heavy 
laden, and cheering the dark lot of the lonely. Father, if 
Thou givest me the cup of trial, give me also the bread of 
life. May the heavenly words of Thy truth be my 
portion this day. Suffer not any unworthy motive to 
influence my heart. May the suggestions of self-love, and 
the cravings of the lower appetites, and all temptations 
from without, as well as the spirit of distrust within, be 
overcome by faith in Thy promises ; and may my soul be 
full of light in Thy love, for evermore. Grant it to me 
and all dear to me throu&'h Thine infinite mercy in Christ 
Jesus, our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

cfe ^ 



40 FIRST "WEEK. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 



Isaiah xxtri., 3. — Thm.t trilt keep hint to perfect 
peace irhnse i/iiml is statjad nri Ttos, because 
he trttstetb to Thee. 



'HIS peace is the peace of God which passeth all 
V^^P understanding, which the Saviour has promised 

C-: ^/3 t0 bestow on those who love him ; — this is calm 
and bright in the midst of storms and darkness ; 
— the world knoweth it not, and can neither give 
it, nor take it away. 
It is promised to him who stayeth his soul on the 

Bock of Ages ; who seeketh no help elsewhere ; who 

loveth nothing in comparison with Him who is perfect 

love. 

Why doth the prophet give this sure word of comfort 
to him that stayeth his mind on God ? Because lie 
trustdh. In whom should we trust, but in Him from 
whom, and through whom, and to whom are all things ? 
"When the weak mortal clings with confidence to the 
Omnipotent Immortal, what can he fear? What ought 
to disturb his trust ? 



# 



THURSDAY EVENING. -41 



-q, 



And how often, instead of thus yielding ourselves to 
God ; and partaking of His holy spirit, and rejoicing in all 
that He doth, because He doeth it, and it must therefore 
be very good; how often do we fret ourselves that our 
way hath not been God's way, and that our fond and 
empty visions have vanished into air ! — then we have no 
peace ! How often when we have wandered from God, 
instead of staying our souls on Him who can bring us 
back, do we seek after false guides, or ask of our own 
selves the way to peace ! How often, when sorrows 
come upon us, do we forge: from whom they come, and 
lose :Lt - eace of God, because we have no: trusted in 
Him? 

may we ever strive to unite our wills with God's 
and then nothing can happen to harass our souls ; may 
we trust in him with perfect faith, and then He will give 
us perfect peace. 



There is a aim the poor in spirit know, 
That softens sorrow, and that lightens woe ; 
There is a peace that dwells within the breast, 
When all without is stormy and distrest ; 
There is a light that gilds the darkest hour. 
AYhen dangers threaten, and when troubles lour: 
That calm to faith and hope and love is given ; 
That peace remains when all beside is riven : 
Thai li?ht shines down to man direct from heaven. 



fc- 



■= 



a- 



42 



FIRST WEEK. 



-a 



PEAYEE. 



Father ! how sweet it is to lie down in peace, and know 
that Thou guardest our slumbers. I would not fear the 
pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the terrors of de- 
vouring flames, nor the attacks of lawless men. As Thou 
wast with Jesus on the mountain, so be with me. May my 
wakeful thoughts, and even the visions of my sleep, be 
Thine. But, Father, I would not trust in Thee only when 
my own powers are inactive. Lead me to stay on Thy sup- 
ports, when they of this world are trusting to themselves. 
In the activity of life, and in the contention of my daily 
labour, may I be working for Thee, and find that Thou 
blessest my toil. While the ungodly are distracted with 
anxieties, may I trust in Thy promises of food and raiment 
to such as seek first the heavenly kingdom. May I make 
any sacrifices that the spirit of Thy word enjoins, and then 
calmly wait on Thee. "When sudden calamities terrify 
those who live without Thy law, may I remember that 
nothing is sudden unto Thee, and that time and chance are 
not known in Thy presence. May I faithfully apply the 
means of holiness and the means of usefulness Thou hast 
granted unto me ; and, in patient hope, leave the result 
with Thee. May it ever be the joy of my life to be about 
my Father's business. Guide me by Thy Holy Spirit. 
Make the way of duty plain unto me, and may I quietly 



[ & 



__gj 



ED 

THURSDAY EVENING. 43 [ 



wait for the niovings of Thy grace, — content, Father, 
with Thy will, and quiet as a child. Watch over all those 
that are dear unto me. Calm the turbulence of evil 
passions, and lay every anxiety to rest in Thy love. And 
when earthly toil is over, and we need no longer the 
refreshment of bodily repose, may we enter into the rest >i 
perfect trust, and the peace of endless love, which passeth 
all present understanding. I ask it through our Eedeemer, 
Jesus Chris:. Amen. 



Sr^^®* 



<& 



-4 



a- 



44 



FIEST WEEK. 



■ft 



FRIDAY MORNING. 




Matttottr tri, 23. — If therefore the light that is to 
thee he darkness, htrur great is that dartoess ! 



'HE light that is in us ? Have we seen that light ? 
Have our souls dwelt in it ? Then have we 
known, assuredly, that it is light from heaven, — 
a ray from the Father of light ! And when we 
have had this light in us, has there ever been 
darkness that could be felt around us ? But 
when that has been extinguished, — when the light that is 
in us has been darkness, — how great has been that 
darkness ! He only can tell who has endured it, and has 
known, from dreadful experience, that it is a gloom that 
cannot be lightened by all the glories of the external 
world. 

The Saviour has come to kindle the heavenly flame 
that is smouldering in our souls, stifled by unholy desires ; 
to show us the way to the Father of lights, from whom 
cometh every good and perfect gift. Let me listen to his 
voice! "If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be 
full of light." If it is directed with a steady, single aim 
to God, then our whole soul will be purified, all its 
powers and aspirations will be brought into a perfect 



i£~ 



# 



7-^ 

FRIDAY MORNING. 4o 



and harmonious action; it will see, because God's light 
will shine on everything around it ; it will dwell in light ; 
the whole body will be full of light, because God's light 
will be in it. 

But we cannot enjoy this blessedness by mere aspira- 
tions and longings after it. We must devote our powers 
and active exertions, and even our hours of relaxation and 
enjoyment, to the service of our great Master. He will 
have no divided service. No one can serve two masters, 
and any other would separate us from Him. 

Has my soul chosen this good part? Do I follow 
Jehovah, my God, in all? Have I not many hours of 
darkness, and few of light ? Let me not deceive myself. 
I cannot have the blessedness of God's light while I cling 
to my own darkness, or faint glimmering of earthly light. 
Let me, then, earnestly seek out that which blinds me ; 
and if my whole eye be evil let me pluck it out and cast it 
from me. Let me not falsely imagine that my happiness 
or misery depends on external circumstances. If darkness 
seems thick around me, assuredly my own light is 
darkened. 

Father of light ! do Thou so enlighten me that my 
whole body may be full of light ; do Thou shine on my 
soul with the light of Thy countenance ! 



God, my strength, to Thee I pray ! 
Turn not Thou thine ear away; 
Gracious to my cry attend, 
"While the suppliant knee I bend. 



r£ _£] 



e- 



46 



FIRST "WEEK. 



-a 



Grant me, Lord, Thy peace and light, 

To direct my steps aright, 

To protect, in trial's hour, 

From the world's ensnaring power. 

Cleanse me from the guilt that lies 
Wrapt within my heart's disguise ; 
Let me thence, by Thee renewed, 
All presumptuous sin exclude. 

Let my tongue, from rashness free, 
Speak the words approved by Thee: 
And to Thine all-searching eyes 
Let my thoughts accepted rise. 

Hear, and to my soul display 
Mercy's all- enlivening ray ; 
Let it lead, in faith and love, 
Onward to a home above. 



PRAYER 



* 



most merciful and gracious God ! Thou art the 
fountain of all mercy and goodness. Thou hast opened 
Thy hand of mercy to fill me with blessings, and with the 
sweet effects of Thy loving kindness. As Thou hast spread 
Thy hand over me for a covering, so also enlarge my heart 
with thankfulness, and fill my mouth with praise ; that my 
duty and returns to Thee may be great as the grace I stand 
in need of. May what Thou hast sown in mercy spring up 
in duty. Let me walk in the light of Thy favour, and in 
the paths of Thy commandments ; that, living here to the 



W 



FRIDAY MORNING. 




j«K 



fe- 



-a 



glory of my Lord, I may spend eternity in giving praise to 
Thy exalted and ever glorious name. Guide me, Lord, 
in all the varieties and changes of the world, that in all 
things which may happen I may preserve an evenness and 
a tranquillity of spirit ; that my soul may be wholly 
resigned to Thy divine will and pleasure ; never murmuring 
at Thy chastisements and Fatherly correction ; never being 
high-minded or forgetful, if it please Thee to grant me 
prosperity. Lix my thoughts, my hopes, my desires, on 
eternal things. Teach me to despise the world. Enrich 
my understanding with an eternal treasure of Divine 
truths, that I may know Thy will ; and give me a firm 
purpose, knowing, to perform it. Lord strengthen my 
faith, confirm my hope, and give me a daily increase 
of charity ; that this day and ever I may serve Thee 
according to all my opportunities and capacities, growing 
from grace to grace, in the knowledge and likeness of 
my beloved Saviour. Amen. 



W 



f 



4S 



FIRST WEEK. 



FEIDAY EVEXIXG. 



.Tuhn xxi.. 17. — He saitk unta him tto third tiun\ 
*• Simnn. San of janae. lirrest than m$? M 



= t^ ETEE was grieved because he said unto him the 
^-jgj^ third time, " Lovest thou me!" And well he 
£3^3 might be. for it must have reminded him of his 
three denials, when his Lord turned and looked 
on him. and he went out and wept bitterly. He 
who had been loudest in his protestations was 
the first to fall : and yet Jesus knew that he had a strength 
of love which would cast out his fear, and render him a 
brave and faithful shepherd. 

We, too, have expressed our love to Christ. We 
should be grieved if it were questioned. TTe take his 
name upon us : we seek his spirit in our prayers : 
perhaps sit at his table : and yet have we, who have 
broken bread with him, never lifted up our heel against 
him, and brought his name into dishonour, by the 
inconsistency of our conduct ? Possibly, conscience may 
acquit us ; and yet have we not neglected and forsaken. 
if we have not wilfully denied, him ? In the hour of 



L^. 



-4 



T 



ft 

FPJDAY EVEKI3 49 | 



:;. have we not closed our ears to his prophesi- 
sorro". saying', "These things shall not be unto us!" 
In distress have we not gone forth from his presence, to 
sorrow as those without hope? Have we watched with 
his brethren in their asronv ? Have we cheered them 
in the hour of their trial? Have we helped them to 
bear their crosses ? Have we been willing to take up 
our own, to deny ourselves, and follow Christ, in evil 
report as well as in good report ? Do we count all 
things but loss that we might win him ? Do we : 
as if nothing can separate us from his love, and from 
that of the Father, whom he came to reveal to u s : 

If we have been favoured with blissful communion 
with him : if he has revealed himself to our hearts, and 
we think ~ ^ love him, so that we could do anything to 
serve him ; if we feel ourselves his friends, and have 
been always ready to own our affection for him before 
those who might despise us for it, let us show it, in 
the way that he* pointed out to Peter, by feeding his 
sheep ; strengthening the diseased, and healing the sick : 
binding up that which was broken, and bringing again 
that wh::~_ was driven away; and seeking those who 
lost We cannot love him whom we do not see, 

unless our hearts are warmed towards our brethren, and 
his. We cannot love them unless we lead them to those 
still which we ourselves have found b : - 

and teach them to repose in the shade of the tree of life. 
love : Christ must constrain us to live no longer 
to ourselves; we must "walk in love, as Christ also 
1 us and hath given himself for us ; M we musl 

only be pure in heart, but must show a willingness, like 
make a sacrifice of personal ease, and to give up 



k- 



J± 



:.M FIRST WEEK. [ 



enjoyments, which to us are innocent, and to go whither 
we would not, that we may be the means of saving 
others from temptation, and delivering them from evil, 
and then Christ and the Father will love us, and they 
will come unto us, and mahe their abode with us. 



Though sorrows rise, and dangers roll 
In waves of darkness o'er my soul: 
Though friends are false, and love decays, 
And few and evil are my days ; 

Ye: e"en in nature's utmost ill, 

I love Thee. Lord! I love Thee still I 

Though conscience, fiercest of my foes, 

Swells with remembered guilt my woes; 
And memory points, with busy pain, 
To grace and mercy giv'n in vain; 
Though every thought has pow^ to kill, 
I love Thee, Lord! I love Thee still! 

by the woes Messiah bore, 

And in his grief was lov*d the more ; 
By these, my pangs, whose healing smart 
Thy grace hath planted in my heart; 

1 know, I feel Thy bounteous will ! 

Thou lov'sl me. Lord ! Thou lov'st me still ! 



Q £l 



FRIDAY EVENING. 



-a 



P K A Y E B . 



God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, oh, fill me 
with his devotion, his love of souls, his meekness, his 
patient and self-denying zeal ; and give me grace that I 
may walk after his example in all holiness, purity and 
goodness. Thou seest the children of men who are yet 
walking in a vain show, and following evil devices ; and 
the many who cry, from the dark wilderness of ignorance 
and sin, " no man careth for our souls." May I myself 
be converted unto Thee, the living God, and then go forth, 
with an earnest and loving heart, to seek and save those 
that are lost. And oh, preserve me from the temptations 
of prosperity and of adversity ; of self-indulgence and of 
envy ; and grant that in the spirit of a Christlike devoted- 
ness unto Thee and to the eternal interests of the human 
soul, I may run and not be weary, I may walk and not 
faint. May the love of Christ constrain me to live unto 
him that died for us ; that, when I die, I may die in the 
Lord, and be received into the fulness of Thy love in 
him. Amen. 



# 



f 



FERST WEEK. 



SATUBDAY MORNING. 




1 Xtdm iv.j 20.— 'Hi- that Ixroeth mrt his brother 

tcbmxi h? hath S£$#, bxxttr taxi to lavre S-nxl 
trbrrm to hath nut s$0tt? 



OYE, in its purity, is union of sonl. 

The higher the qualities by which we are 
united to one another, the higher, the purer, the 
more intense, and more perfect is love. 

The highest love, when unalloyed, is perfect 
bliss. 
Our love to God must be founded on the highest 
qualities of our nature, as He is perfection. Love 
to Him is unalloyed as regards the object of it, because 
He is Himself unchangeably holy. It is, therefore, the 
highest, purest, most intense, and most constant love of 
which we are capable : hence union of soul with God can 
alone constitute perfect bliss. 

The great object of man's training here is to fit him 
for perfect bliss, — for life, properly so called ; that is, for 
union of spirit with Him of whose spirit he is. 

To effect this, God leads him from things that are seen 
to things that are unseen ; from the temporal, the bounded, 
the finite, to the eternal, the unbounded, the infinite. 

The objects of all the senses are formed to excite love 



t& 



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SATURDAY MORNING. 06 



in the soul. Of themselves alone they cannot raise us to 
the love of the spiritual, of God ; but when once the love 
of God is brightly kindled in the soul, it derives nutriment 
from the seeing of the eye, from the hearing of the ear, 
from the things around and within us. 

The apostle did not, however, advert to these incite- 
ments to the love of God, because they require a previous 
preparation of mind ; and because, from being connected 
necessarily and intimately with self, none but those who 
have in great degree escaped from its thraldom can 
worthily use these things as not abusing them. 

There is, then, a way provided, by which man is 
insensibly drawn out of himself, rilled with heavenly 
thoughts and affections, and thus led to God. 

It is provided ; for the earliest traces of love are 
discerned in the instincts, in the nature, so to speak ; they 
are traced down from man, among the beings lower than 
man, until they gradually disappear as the race becomes 
progressively lower ; they are found in every variety of the 
human race, and in every stage of its existence: they 
appear with the earliest consciousness : they are, perhaps, 
never totally destroyed, even when man's vices have 
hideously deformed the beauty of his nature, or when 
the slow, but certain decay of his faculties seems to point 
to annihilation rather than to eternity. 

This instinctive^ animal love, hegins to lead man from 
himself, — to make him unite with something out of him- 
self, — to make him forget himself. 

Nature thus calls man from himself, and towards God, 
by awakening in him gratitude for benefits received, by 
thus inspiring him with love for some other than himself : 
this, H carried onward^ will lead him to the love of God. 



■a- 



J 



HB Hi 

54 FIRST "WEEK. 



But this love lias still a reference to self, however 
refined it may be ; and Christ has said, " If ye love them 
only who love you, what thank have ye?" He told us 
that we are to love, that is, exert the highest powers of 
our soul, in favour of those who have no claim on our 
selfish regard, — our enemies ; and that we are to measure 
our love to others by our love to ourselves. Thus must we 
be drawn out of ourselves ; thus shall we be led from the 
creature to the Creator; and the apostle John, in whom 
dwelt abundantly the spirit of his Master, tells us, that 
unless we do love our brother whom we have seen, we 
cannot love God whom we have not seen. 

Our love to our brother, that is, to every child of our 
Heavenly Father, has this peculiar power of drawing us 
from self, — that it calls into action every faculty of our 
nature, and gives us an opportunity in each to conquer 
self. The most exalted energies of our souls, which would 
lie dormant, or be turned to self idolatry, are excited, and 
thus purified by being freed from selfishness. Thus from 
the seen shall we pass on to the unseen ; then shall we be 
prepared to be one with God, which our Saviour has 
shown us must be our highest felicity, and which he 
prayed might be enjoyed by us together with him. 



cgh" ffi 



eg a 

SATURDAY MORNING. 55 1 



Fatheii of our feeble race ! 

Wise, beneficent and kind! 
Spread o'er nature's ample i\u-e. 

Flows Thy goodness nneonfin'd; 
Musing in the silent grove, 

Or the busy haunts of men, 
Still we trace thy wond'rous love, 

Claiming large returns again. 



Lord ! what offring shall we bring, 

At Thine altars when we bow "? 
Hearts., the pure unsullied spring 

Whence the kind affections flow: 
Soft compassion's feeling soul, 

By the melting eye exprest : 
Sympathy, at whose controul 

Sorrow leaves the wounded breast. 



Willing hands to lead the blind. 

Bind the wounded, feed the poor: 
Love embracing all our kind. 

Charity with liberal store : 
Teach us, Thou heavenly king. 

Thus to show our grateful mind, 
Thus the accepted offring bring, 

Love to Thee and all mankind. 



h ■ -i 



5G FIE ST WEEK. 



-a 



PEAYEE 

Father of love and mercy ! Through that Saviour 
in whom shone forth Thy perfections would I approach 
Thee in loving confidence, in childlike simplicity, in humble 
and joyful hope. Through him only can we thus come 
unto Thee, and thus would I come, my Father ! As he 
is one with Thee, so may my spirit be wholly in Thine. 
May I delight in nothing but what Thou lovest ; may I 
yield myself unreservedly to all Thou appointest for me ; 
may I rejoice in all Thou doest, and feel sure that all is 
wisest and best. Father ! Thy love is sjDread all around, 
it is everywhere ; it shines forth in all Thy works. I would 
love all, my Father, because it is Thine. But chiefly 
would I love all into whom Thou hast breathed Thine own 
immortal spirit, — to whom thou hast given a life that can 
never die. help me, I pray Thee, with Thy strength, 
to feel for them an imperishable love ; and following in the 
footsteps of my blessed Saviour, to give up, if need be, 
even my life for them. And then, Father, when I have 
done and suffered all thou wiliest here on earth, do Thou 
receive me to Thyself, to dwell for ever with Thee, and 
Thy beloved Son, and the blessed ones whom Thou hast 
given to me here below, — never to be separated any more. 

So be it, Father ! Amen. 



[ a- — & 



SATURDAY EVENING. 



57 



-a 



SATURDAY EVENING. 



Lube irii., 50, — Thy faitb bath satrsd thee; ga to 
j.iBace. 





EACE ! It was a thing she had not fully known 
since she had left its paths, — those ways of 
£^3\ wisdom and pleasantness. There is no peace, 
saith my God, to the wicked ; and she had no 
peace while her sins were many. Nor yet was 
there perfect peace in that transport of penitence 
and love in which she stood before Jesus. That was 
victory, but now Christ gives her peace : not as the world 
giveth, gave he unto her ; her heart was not to be troubled, 
nor to be afraid. Her faith was strong; and the belief 
that Christ had promised her rest, would be her safeguard 
in the hour of peril. Yet her tears were not for ever 
dried! How often in the midst of her most sacred 
musings, would some impure thought rise up from the 
vaults of memory ! — but then her faith would save her, 
and she would be able to banish it, and it would even add 
to her present holiness, by teaching her humility and self- 
distrust. How often would she feel her powers for good 
weakened by her past misconduct! — but yet love would 



CQ- 



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58 FIRST WEEK. 



supply the deficiency, and an ardour, before unknown, 
would inspire, with unwonted force, the energies that were 
spared her ! How often would the remembrance of past 
sin rise up, like a thick vapour, till faith should save her, 
and show that 

The cloud we so much dread 

Is big with mercies, aud will break 

In blessings ou our head ! 

" Go in peace !" May we apply the words of the 
Saviour to ourselves ! Yet how few of us can ! Who can 
say, I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith? 
Who can feel that the conflict is over, even if it has 
begun ? May God give me such an earnest love of Him, 
that I may gain the victory over my many foes ! We 
cannot have perfect repose till we are perfectly holy ; but 
the warmer our love to the God of goodness, the less shall 
we experience that fear in which is torment. 

" Go in peace," then, may I hear the Saviour say to 
me, if, like the penitent woman, I come to him with a 
lowly and contrite heart, — if I bewail my sins with that 
true sorrow which bringeth repentance not to be repented 
of. Let me not slight the blessed invitation, — " Come 
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me ; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest 
unto your souls." 



R3 — W 



cfl ^r 

SATUBDAY EVENING. 1 



Behold the gospel mercy -eat ! 
Let penitence in faith draw near: 

Lo ! truth and grace with justice meet. 
The humble, contrite soul to cheer. 

When it bewails the stain of sin, 

And shuns the unrighteous thought or deed. 
Thou givest mercy, Lord, within. 

And grace to help in time of need. 

No 1 -nger let the gloom and fears 
Of nature's twilight sink the heart : 

The Saviour's words dispel our tears, 
And peace, and hope, and light impart. 

He leads us to a Father's throne. 

And the sure hope through him is giv'n. 
That, when the work of faith is done, 

We have a sinless home in heaven. 



PEAYEE. 

Oxce more, Thou most tender Father, hast Thou 
brought the week to close on me in peace ! Here I raise 
the altar of thanksgiving, and declare that hitherto mj 
Lord hath helped me. If my heart has been disquieted 
within me, Thau didst not send the trouble. If I have 
yielded to temptation, Thou didst not make it too strong 
for me. If the week has been barren in holy purposes 
and endeavours, Thou wouldst have made the wilderness 
to blossom as the rose, if onlv I had looked to Thee. 



ft 



— tr 



a- 



60 FIRST WEEK. 



Father, I know not which, most to wonder at ; Thy long- 
suffering, or my ingratitude. When, Lord, shall I be 
wholly Thine, as I long to be ? When shall I overcome 
the sluggishness of my baser nature, and the violence of 
my lower passions, and love and serve Thee with an 
undivided heart ? Lord I believe : help Thou my unbelief ! 
May I cast aside all self-seeking, and lay my burden of 
iniquity low at the foot of the cross. May I crucify every 
unholy desire, and allow of no impure remembrance. May 
my thoughts be of Thy love, and of my duty. Now, 
Father, we are giving ourselves up to unconscious sleep : 
watch over us all, and preserve us from outward danger, 
and still more from inward temptation. May the night be 
holy to us : that we may be prepared for the holy day that 
shall open to us, whether in this life or in that which is to 
come. We leave ourselves in thy loving care, through 
our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 




H3- -ff 



-93 




Second Y^ee 



k. 



SUNDAY MOKNING. 




j^alm xvi. f 11. — In Tbij prsssntjs is ftrtoese of 
jxrtj ; at Tbij right hand ttors are plaasitr^s fur 
Btrerwurs. 



^N what mm there be any joy pure, lasting, intense, 
existing in fulness, but in God ? He is the fountain 
of all power, of all "wisdom, of all beauty, of all 
love. In some one or more of them, all who rise 
above the mere gratification of the senses seek for 
happiness. 
Why should man, child of the dust as he is, seek for 
power ? Yet he does seek it ! And who finds it ? Not 
the Conqueror ; he enslaves, for a short space, the bodily 
frame of his fellow creatures, a poor and perishable 
possession! It may be that his strong will and mighty 
intellect may also for a time chain their souls, and even 
cause the vile possessors of them to come and lay at his 
feet, as a willing offering, that which the whole world 
should not enthral ; but let a few years pass, and behold 
this conqueror ! His power was of the earth, earthy ; to 



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(32 SECOND WEEK. 



■a 



dust lie lias returned ; and nothing remains of his dominion 
save that alone of it which may have had a hoi}' influence 
on the mincls of others; and how small in general is that 
part ! Even during his life, it is possible that those 
circumstances of which he availed himself to obtain his 
short-lived power, may have hurled him from his height, 
and left him nothing but the weakness of the things that 
savour not of God. But the man who trusts in God for 
strength, who walks in the might of His holiness, arnied 
with the shield of faith, has often obtained, unsought, an 
empire over the hearts and souls of others, which time 
cannot efface ; and after he has returned to dust, and his 
name has been almost forgotten, his spirit still broods over 
the world of thought, and kindles the souls of others to 
seek and find that power which he had from God alone. 

Where shall wisdom be found but with God ? Even 
the foolish things of Him confound the wise of this world. 
Times without number, philosophers have shown to us the 
humiliating, yet all-instructive spectacle, of one who, in 
the eyes of the world, has raised himself to the highest 
pinnacle of human knowledge, grovelling in the dust 
beneath the tyrannic sway of his own unhallowed passions, 
his eyes blinded by them so that he has not been able 
clearly to see the light of true wisdom ; while the poor and 
lowly-minded, who have sought it under the guidance of 
God, have been enabled, by Him, to discern, with a clear 
eye, the hidden mysteries of His works and His ways. 

Some there are who are swallowed up, so to speak, in 
the lovliness of beauty. They seem to live for it ; they care 
for no enjoyment, but the contemplation of it; they love 
nothing, but it; yet all that is pure, elevating, spiritual, 
in this beauty which so takes possession of their souls, is 

CJ3_— _£}] 



SUNDAY MORNING, 63 



-& 



but the faint shadowing of our conceptions of Him who is 
perfect beauty. All that confines man to self, and ties 
him to this earth, is impure, degrading, perishable. If we 
dwell as in the presence of God, even here, we shall see 
beauty everywhere, not only where His own hand hath 
worked without the intervention of man, but even where 
the creature would, at first sight, seem to have blotted out, 
or defaced, the works of the Creator. Light from the 
presence of God will shed a glow over everything ; and our 
souls will be refreshed with a constant sense of pure and 
lovely beauty. 

Does not love, when pure, afford the highest pleasure of 
which the human being is capable ? Has it not diffused 
an inexpressible sweetness over the darkest hour ? Has it 
not raised man above the trials, the dangers, the sorrows 
of the world, and inspired him with a strength not his 
own, — a strength which is derived from union with the 
Highest, Holiest, Best ? But how seldom can this be 
enjoyed on the earth in its greatest purity; or, if enjoyed 
for a season, how soon it is blighted ! The imperfections 
of our nature mingle bitterness with it ! but the bliss we 
have tasted gives us a longing for the enjoyment of it 
without interruption. God is love ; in him there is no 
variableness nor the shadow of changing ;-here, then, may 
we fix our deepest, purest love with confidence ; in Him 
shall we have fulness of joy. 

All, then, that man worthily seeks, is obtained in per- 
fection only in the presence of God. With Him, then, 
only can we find joy ; by union with Him alone can the 
heart of man be fully satisfied. On this earth, in pro- 
portion as we walk with God, shall we have a foretaste of 
this joy ; but here we are under the veil ; the unconcealed 



# 



cfl -Eh 

64 SECOND WEEK. 



glories of God would be too dazzling for us to bear. We 
are none of us clean ; and no unclean thing shall touch the 
Mount of God. It is in His more immediate presence, 
which we shall enjoy in proportion as we are prepared for 
it, in the eternal world, that we shall taste pleasures never 
ending ; such fulness of joy as it hath not entered into the 
heart of man to conceive. the unspeakable riches of the 
love of God ! 



Blest is thy presence, Lord ! while lowly bending, 
Abas'd by sin, we humbly seek Thy face; 

On children of the dust Thy love descending 
Shall bid us rise and fill us with tby grace. 

And as the glorious sun, from dark clouds breaking, 
Dispels the sorrowing dewdrops of the night; 

So in our hearts, Thy presence, Lord, awaking, 
Chases our fears, and turns our gloom to light. 

Hallow'd Thy presence, Lord ! before Thee kneeling, 
Pure thoughts and holy transports fill the soul ; 

Thy peace within our troubled spirits stealing, 
Far off life's storms and ocean billows roll. 

Heavenly Thy presence. Lord: while here before Thee 
In faith we see the mansions of the just, 

Enrapturd join th' angelic hosts t' adore Thee, 
And make Thee all our joy, our hope, our trust. 

And let Thy blessed presence, Lord ! attend us, 
While struggling in the world with sin and care! 

may Thy everlasting shield defend us ! 

May all our hearts be Thine, our thoughts be prayer! 



ft 



A 



SUNDAY MOEXIXG. 



-a 



PEAYEE. 

blessed Father, may Thy holy presence be with all 
Thy church, in bright and sensible fulness, on this Sabbath 
which is dawning on us ! Let it be a day of rest from 
all worldly cares and thoughts, — a foretaste of Heaven. 
Descend into our souls with all the richness of Thy grace, 
and fill them with Thy Holy Spirit. Irradiate all around 
with Thy gloiy, so that we may thankfully declare that a 
day in thy courts is better than a thousand. Father, 
may I this day so taste the fulness of joy which is in Thy 
presence only, that henceforth all things may seem dead 
and cold to me in which there is no savour of it. While 
I love the world, and the things of it, may I love them 
only inasmuch as they are Thine, and thus go on my way 
rejoicing. But, my Father, how often has Thy presence 
been hidden from me because I would not see it. How 
often have I even striven to hide myself from it, because 
my heart was not with Thee ? How many times have I 
shrunk from the touch of Thine hand, when it chastened 
me, instead of being thankful to feel it, however severe its 
stroke, and kissing it with humble childlike love? 
Father! Do Thou come with Thy Beloved Son, our 
Saviour, to make Thine abode in my inmost soul, so that 
no height, nor depth, nor any creature, no sin nor sorrow, 
no suffering nor death, may ever separate me from Thy 
love, now or for ever. Amen. 



-o-^i 



W 



a- 



66 



SECOND WEEK. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 




fe- 



T&zxrelztixxu xxii.. 1. — |f.ml to sherred m$ a pure 
mrer of urate? of life, clear as crystal, nrn- 

ceBdinij nut nf thi' ttomte nf &tid and nf the 
Lamb:. 

^\ 

^HAT a glorious vision to comfort and encourage 
us in this lower world ! 

Sere the water of life often runs in small. 
and hardly perceptible streams, with difficulty 
making its way along through all the rough- 
nesses and hindrances of this vale of our 
pilgrimage, sometimes almost lost amid quicksands and 
marshes. There it majestically rolls on its full tide in a 
river, overshadowed on either side by trees bearing their 
fresh, luxuriant fruit every montb. and whose leaves arc 
for the healing of the nations. 

Here the stream of our life is often so tainted with 
many noxious things, that we can hardly recognise it as 
having proceeded from the all-holy Fountain ; and as we 
look on these small, polluted streams, exhaling unwhole- 
some vapours, we wonder if they can do any good to beast 
or oven to herb ; and it seems impossible to us that they 
should ever be purified. But the angel shews us the water 



SUNDAY EVENING. 



ft 



of life pure. How great a change must there be made in 
those other waters ! How glorious a change will be made 
when all the waters of life shall be gathered into that 
large river ! 

The waters of life are here often very turbid ; we cannot 
see clearly through them ; we are not sure whether it is 
our vision which is imperfect, — beclouded with mists of 
self-love, of evil passions, — or whether the water itself has 
so mixed with the clay of the valley that it cannot be 
separated from it. Let us patiently endure its dulness for 
the short time we are here, for there it will be clear as 
crystal, reflecting with dazzling lustre all the glorious 
objects in the heavenly city through which it flows. 

Whence is this blessed river of the water of life ? The 
angel shows it to us proceeding " out of the throne of God 
and of the Lamb." Therefore is it so large, so pure, so 
clear. Xothing that is limited can proceed from infinity ; 
nothing that is impure can come forth from perfect purity , 
nothing that is dark can emanate from the Fountain of 
light. 

We see here but in part ; we understand but in part. 
When the perfect is come, this partial seeing, this partial 
knowing will be done away ; that which is now only the 
vision of faith will be a glorious reality. 

I bless Thee, my God, that Thou dost sometimes give 
me these visions to help me through the vale. When I 
descend from the holy mount where they have shone 
around me, to continue my pilgrimage below, grant that 
their light may still be about me ; and that I may go 
rejoicing on the way Thou hast pointed out for me ! 



W 



s — — & 

68 SECOND WEEK. 



Descend my spirit ! Rest in humble peace 

Where His. kind hand hath placed thee, who best knows 

Thy mortal frame, remembering thou art dust. 

There faith shall whisper thee sweet words of trust, 

That if thou steadfast pressest on the way 

Of thy high calling; thy affections rise 

To things above, nor centre here below ; 

If, while thou minglest with the cares of life, 

Thou doest all to gain thy Father's love; 

If, living in the world, mixing with men, 

Thou treadest not in their unholy ways; — 

Then shalt thou share a joy which human heart 

Cannot conceive; then an immortal crown 

Shall circle brows which here would dazzled shrink 

From its pure brightness. As poor blighted flowers, 

Or as the winter rose that scarce unfolds 

Its sickly leaves to catch the mid-day sun, 

Our feeble spirits sink before the blast, 

Nor dare t' imbibe the strong meridian rays; 

But there the mortal seeds, in weakness sown, 

Shall rise in power and glory, heirs with Christ, 

Glorious partakers with the sons of God! 



PEAYEE. 

I bless Thee, Father, that Thou dost sometimes give 
me the visions of glory to help me through the vale. 
When I descend from the holy mount where they have 
shone around me, to continue my pilgrimage below, grant 
that their light may still be about me ; and that I may go 
rejoicing on the way thou hast pointed out to me. I thank 

Efa $ 



SUNDAY EVENING. 60 



Th.ee, and I would take courage from these manifestations 
of Thy love. During* the anxieties and doubts of the week 
that has now begun, I would remember the holy thoughts 
of this day of heavenly contemplation. And oli ! grant 
that my heart may be so filled with images of glory, and 
purposes of duty, that sinful desires shall iind no entrance 
there. May the home of my soul be well furnished with 
the treasures of the divine life. May no empty places in 
my affections tempt my bosom foes to assert their old 
dominion. But, bearing my treasure and my heaven about 
with me ; abounding always in the work of the Lord ; 
thinking on whatever is pure and lovely; subduing, 
through the strength of Thy Holy Spirit, every earthly 
and debasing purpose ; resolutely choosing the good part 
which can never be taken away from me ; may I proceed 
from strength to strength, until I appear perfect before 
Thee in Zion. Unite me, and all dear to me, I pray Thee, 
in the bonds of Thine eternal love : through Jesus Christ, 
our beloved Saviour. Amen. 






"B— -B? 



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70 SECOND WEEK. 



^ 



MONDAY MORNING. 




1 Th^ss. v.. 17. — Pray: unthmtt c-Basirtg. 



is prayer? Have we thought that the 
use of certain forms is necessary to it ? Have 
we deemed it requisite, in order to pray, that 
we should either join with others, or retire into 
some secret place to open our hearts to God ? 
Have we supposed that prayer could be per- 
formed only at fixed seasons, or when the heart is in a 
peculiar state of excitement ? All these circumstances 
may be, and often are, highly favourable to devotion. 
But if we think them necessary, our views of the duty are 
too narrow. Prayer is far less the use of certain language, 
than the exercise of certain dispositions and affections ; 
and the great design of the expression of prayer is, to 
strengthen the dispositions and affections in which it 
peculiarly consists. The design of forms of prayer is, to 
secure us against inconsistency and impropriety, either in 
the sentiments or the expressions of devotion. The pur- 
pose of social worship is, peculiarly, to unite our social with 
our pious affections ; and, by the same act, to bind us 
at once more closely to each other and to God. The object 



B- 



MONDAY MOEXIXG. 



of secret prayer is, the free expression to God of what we 
could not freely express with, or before, one another. 
And seasons of prayer are prescribed, because the duty, for 
which we have no allotted time, is easily deferred from 
hour to hour, from day to day, till it is utterly forgotton. 
But if the dispositions and affections, in which prayer 
peculiarly consists, are felt to any considerable degree, it 
cannot be shut up within the limits of stated hours, and of 
particular forms and places of devotion ; it cannot always 
wait till others are ready to join in it, nor be restrained by 
the forms from which, perhaps, it has derived the most 
important benefits. These dispositions and affections, 
where they have obtained an ascendancy, will often burst 
asunder the bonds by which our labours or cares or 
pleasures would confine them. They will rise to God 
under the pressure of circumstances and events, which 
would bear them down to the earth ; and in proportion as 
they are exercised and cherished, will produce the most 
important effects on our characters, our habits, and our 
happiness. These momentary, but sincere references 
and expressions to God, are an accomplishment of the 
precept, " pray without ceasing" And not only may we 
thus pray without neglecting any other duty ; but in this 
habitual devotion is the most uniform and powerful excite- 
ment to fidelity in every obligation. 



# 



cfi — Eh 

72 SECOND WEEK. 



Pea\"ek is the soul's sincere desire. 

Uttered or unexpress'd : 
The motion of a hidden fire 

That trembles^ in the breast. 

Prayer is the burden of a sigh. 

The falling of a tear: 
The upward glancing of an eye 

When none but God is near. 

Prayer is the simplest form of speech 

That infant lips can try: 
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach 

The Majesty on high. 

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath. 

The Christian's native air: 
His watchword at the gates of death. — 

He enters heaven by prayer. 

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice 

Returning from his ways : 
While Angels in their songs rejoice. 

And say, " Behold, he prays !" 

The saints., in prayer, appear as one, 
In word, and deed, and mind : 

When with the Father and the Son 
Their fellowship they find. 



thou, by whom we come to God. 

The Life, the Truth, the Way ; 
The path of prayer thyself hast trod, 

teach us 1jo\n :o ora ! 



-ff 



MONDAY MORNING. 



PEAYEE. 

How shall I speak to Thee, Thou God of purity and 
holiness ! to Thee, who art of purer eyes than to behold 
iniquity ; and I, who am of unclean lips and unholy 
thoughts? Oh touch my heart with Thy love. Lift me 
above my weakness and sins. Make me of the number of 
those whose transgression is covered ; of those happy ones 
to whom Thou imputest not sin. Thou art all-powerful to 
save ; all-good to bless ; all-merciful to forgive ; all-bene- 
ficent to supply the wants of Thy creatures. Our bodily 
wants Thou meetest with rich abundance. And Thy 
Divine Spirit is over the hearts of all Thy children, to 
elevate and purify and bless ; to make them meet for Thy 
kingdom above. And Thou hast promised to withhold 
none of Thy gifts from those who call upon Thee out of a 
pure heart. Father ! I know that I am sinful. I feel a 
cloud upon my soul, that tells me I have not been faithful 
to the high and the holy privilege of listening to Thy 
words and knowing Thy will. And yet, — I cannot live 
without Thee. With humble awe, with deep humility of 
heart and soul, I bow before thee. Oh ! listen to my cry ! 
From the depths of my heart it ascends to Thee for mercy, 
for help, for salvation. Oh ! turn me not away. Pour 
forth Thy Spirit upon me, — Thine own all-conquering 
Spirit, that tears the rocks and rends the mountains, and 
finds nothing too hard to resist its holy influences —but the 
wicked heart of man ! Make me a willing captive to Thy 
truth. Make me to feel its power in my heart : raising 

=&-- — ^ 



Er 



m- 



74 SECOND WEEK. 



me from a death of sin to a life of righteousness ; elevating 
my soul by the contemplation of things above ; conforming 
my will to Thine ; creating a clean heart, and renewing a 
right spirit within me. Lord ! I am Thine, though un- 
worthy. As clay in the hands of the potter, so am I in 
Thine, God. [Make me a vessel meet for my Master's 
use. I lay myself in the dust before Thee. Subdue my 
proud and rebellious will. Let sin have no more dominion 
over me ; and songs of rejoicing shall for ever ascend to 
Thee from my redeemed and glorified spirit ; through 
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, our Saviour. Amen. 




J 



a- 



MONDAY EVENING. 



/ D 



^ 



MONDAY EVENING. 



Philippians itr., 



. — Tin- pDaui.' uf (.kill rrhit-h passeth 
all mtdarstattdiog. 




HEEE is a twofold peace. The first is negative. 
It is relief from disquiet and corroding care. It 
is repose after conflict and storms. But there is 
another and a higher peace to which this is but 
a prelude, a "peace of God which passeth all 
understanding," and properly called u the king- 
dom of heaven within us." This state is anything but 
negative 1 It is the highest and most strenuous action of 
the soul ; but an entirely harmonious action, in which all 
our powers and affections are blended in a beautiful pro- 
portion, and sustain and perfect one another. It is more 
than silence after storms. It is a concord of all melodious 
sounds. Have we never known a season, when, in the 
fullest flow of thought and feeling, in the universal action 
of the soul, an inward calm, profound as midnight silence, 
yet bright as the still summer noon, full of joy, but un- 
broken by one throb of tumultuous passion, has been 
breathed through our spirit, and gives us a glimpse and 
presage of the serenity of a happier world ? Of this 



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CT 



SECOND AA'EEK. 



■a. 



character is the peace of religion. It is a conscious 
harmony with God and the creation ; an alliance of love 
with all beings ; a sympathy with all that is pure and 
happy ; a surrender of every separate will and interest : a 
participation of the spirit and life of the universe ; an 
entire concord of purpose with its Infinite Original. This 
is peace, and the true happiness of man. 



With pains, and anxious cares, and griefs opprest, 
When shall the worn and weary spirit rest? 
Where shall the soul find peace, with sorrow riven? 

tell me. tell me. what and where is heaven? 

1 send my thoughts above, around, below. 
Nor earth, nor air. nor men. the secret know : 
On earth no stable resting place I find, 

No spring of life to satisfy the mind. 

The mind! how manifold, how deep its wants! 
It asks, obtains, and yet for more it pants ; 
It pants, receives, and asks, and restless still 
At earthly fountains hopes its springs to fill. 

Tather divine! this fatal power controul, 
Which to the senses binds the immortal soul : 
break this bondage ! Lord, I would be free, 
And in my soul would find my heaven in Thee. 

My heaven in Thee! God! no other heaven 
To the immortal mind can e*er be given: 
O let Thy kingdom then within me come. 
And as above, so here, Thv will be done ! 



"& 



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MONDAY EVENING. 77 



My heaven in Thee! Father! let rue rind 
My heaven in Thee, my heaven within my mind : 

No more of heaven and bliss my soul despair, 
For where mv God is found, mv heaven is there! 



P E A Y E R 

blessed Father ! Do Thou, I humbly pray Thee, 
give me Thy peace, — that peace which the world knoweth 
not of, and which it can neither give nor take away. My 
Father ! when my soul is separated from Thee, it has no 
peace : it seeks it hither and thither, but finds it not ; it 
dives into hidden places to discover what it sighs for, but 
peace flies from it ; it strives to content itself with its own 
treasures, — but all, my Father, is less than nothing and 
vanity until it turns again to Thee, who alone hast that 
peace which passes the understanding of man. It passes 
mine, my Father ! for when Thou givest it me, if but 
for a few precious moments, my soul is enlarged, all its 
insatiable wants are satisfied, a bright glory breaks upon 
it, it desires nothing beside, it beholds nothing beside, — 
for it is with Thee. Father, do Thou subdue me unto 
Thyself, and give me such foretastes of this Heavenly 
Peace that here below I may travel on rejoicing through 
the darkest wilderness. Hear me, I pray Thee, Father, 
and may I so ask that I may receive, so seek that I may 
find, so knock that the ^door of mercy may be opened unto 
me. Hear me through him who is the Way, the Truth, 
and the Life, our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



# 



SECOND WEEK. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 



1 .John t\, 5. — Wfca is to that otrergametb tto world, 

but to that tototreth that Ibsus is the Sxm xrf &nxL 




HAT stronger testimony can be given to the 
power of this principle of faith in Chris: ? It 
it be sufficient to overcome the -world, to give 
life through his name, to effect the Christian 
regeneration, and a spiritual union with God, 
to what purpose can it be insufficient ; to what work 
unequal? If this faith be weak, what faith can be called 
strong ? 

And that faith in Christ does do this: that it strengthens 
the soul with such principles, and fills it with such 
resources that it does not need the world for its happir. ess . 
and is capable of resisting its allurements and its terrors, 
of rising superior to its sin and its misery, there are 
"clouds of witnesses.' 3 The apostles and martyrs who 
endured all things, and, in the midst of all, "sang | raises 
unto God ;" and humbler Christians, in the depths of 
poverty and dish- — . y\ : cheerful, content, and rejoicing ; 
men injured, threatened, and j rs ~. yet patient, 

serene, and uncomplaining, while they can appeal to Him 
who judges righteously: men lingering in painful sick- 



m~ 



TUESDAY MOKNING. 



~r: 



ness, cut off from the engagements of life, their prospects 
blasted, their hopes disappointed, their props torn away, 
yet not cast down nor dismayed ; but finding, in the dower 
of faith and heavenly hope, a compensation for their trials, 
and a victory over the world. 

Equally complete is their triumph over spiritual evil. 
They walk amid the deceitful disguises and fatal ambushes 
of sin, unseduced and unharmed. Though the passions 
within ally themselves to the solicitations without, and war 
against their souls ; though the constitution of their bodily 
frame, and the temper of their mind, the circumstances in 
which they are thrown, the company which they frequent, 
and the cares which occupy them, all combine to introduce 
some disorder in their spirits, — to allure or surprise them 
to what is wrong, and array them, even against their wills, 
in disobedience to God ; yet, over this fearful combination, 
against which unassisted man might combat in vain, these 
men of faith triumph. " God hath given them the victory, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 ' Faith, where its domi- 
nion is established in the soul, acts like some superior 
charm to quell the inferior nature, and awe the rebellious 
passions to submission. It brings up to them the image 
of the glorious Master to whom they are bound ; of the 
holy God, who is watching, that he may judge them : of 
the future world, whose inheritance depends on their 
purity ; and of all the misery and horrors which follow 
in the train of unsubjected passions and voluntary sin. 
These press upon their minds with united and intuitive 
operation ; and, with the spontaneous indignation of the 
patriarch, they put the temptation to flight with the cry. 
11 How can I do this great wickedness and sin against 
God?" 



a- 



_, r-j, 



SO 



SECOND WEEK. 



Have I acknowledged Jesus, the Christ, the Son of 
God, so heartily, that he is really and habitually my 
master, and that his authority rules and controuls me in 
all things ? — so that this faith works by love, purifies my 
heart, and overcomes the world? Is it in me the parent 
of holy desires, pure dispositions, good living, and earnest 
aspirations after the excellence and the bliss of heaven *: 
It is for these qualities that faith is valuable. It is by 
these that it works out our salvation. It is this efficacy 
in reforming, purifying, elevating, spiritualizing the human 
character, that constitutes the glory of the gospel. When 
it has done this, it has accomplished its great work. If it 
be doing this for me, I may be satisfied that it is neither 
fatally erroneous nor weak. But if it be pure as that of 
angels, and yet do not display this moral power, it is no 
better than " sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal." 



Thou, who didst stoop below 

To drain the cap of woe. 
Wearing the form of frail mortality : 

Thy blessed labours done, 

Thy crown of victory won, 
Ha-: passed from earth, — passed to thy home od high. 



fc- 



Man may no longer trace 

In thy celestial face 
The image of the bright, the viewless One: 

Nor may thy servants hear, 
with faith's rapturM •; 
Thy voice of tenderness, God's b '. S 



_dl 



TUESDAY MORNING. 81 



Our eyes behold thee not, 

Yet hast thou not forgot 
Those who have plac'd their hope, their trust in thee; 

Before thy Father's face 

Thou hast prepar'd a place, 
That where thou art, there they may also be. 

It was no path of flowers, 

Through this dark world of ours, 
Beloved of the Father, thou didst tread ; 

And shall we, in dismay, 

Shrink from the narrow way, 
When clouds and darkness are around it spread? 

thou, who art our life, 

Be with us through the strife ! 
Was not thy head by earth's fierce tempests bow'd? 

Baise thou our eyes above, 

To see a Father's love 
Beam, like a bow of promise, through the cloud. 

E'en through the awful gloom 

Which hovers o'er the tomb, 
That light of love our guiding star shall be : 

Our spirits shall not dread 

The shadowy way to tread. 
Friend, Guardian, Saviour, which doth lead to thee. 



B , ff 



P- 



SECOND WEEK. 



PBAYEE. 

God and Father, in whose sacred presence the soul 
bows down with deep awe and fear, I turn to thee ever, as 
an unfailing refuge, when earthly comforts die. In these 
hours of the soul's prostration, when the deep-dyed sinful- 
ness of the heart shows its fearful hues; when I sigh for 
repose of conscience, and find it not : I confess my sins 
with shame and sorrow, and ask, in all earnestness and 
sincerity, for Thy forgiveness. Lord ! let rue not ask in 
vain. Without the renewing influences of Thy divine 
Spirit, all good resolutions become weak ; clear perceptions 
of sin are darkened ; memories of Thy past mercies are 
forgotten ; the world and the flesh obtain dominion over 
us; and we sink in the abysses of guilt and error. Oh, 
save me, save me from this wretched lot. In Thy light 
only can we see light. Thou hast revealed Thyself to us 
through Thy Son, that we should no more walk in dark- 
ness, but should have the light of life abiding within us. 
Without this, God, our hearts grovel in selfishness : the 
old man, with his deceitful lusts, reigns over us ; and the 
fruit of our lives is unto the death of our souls. Create in 
me, I beseech Thee, that new man, which is renew; 
knowledge after Thine own image ; whose fruit is holiness ; 
whose end is everlasting life. Hear me, Lord, and 
make me wholly Thine, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. 






t- 



TUESDAY EVENING. 



83 



-a 



TUESDAY EVENING. 




Unhxt re.. 1-1, — Wtosoetret drrotefh at' the water 
that I .shall ghre him shall imrer thirst ; but the 
water that I shall giro him shall be to him a 
tiratl of water, apringmg up tota etrerlasttog 
life. 



'HE holy Jesus asked water of the woman. — un- 
1 satisfying water; but promised that himself, to 
v /2j3them that ask it, would give waters of life and 
satisfaction infinite ; so distinguishing the plea- 
ch sures and appetites of this world from the desires 
and complacencies spiritual. Here we labour, 
but receive no benefit ; we sow many times, and reap not ; 
or reap and do not gather in ; we gather in and do not 
possess ; or possess but do not enjoy ; or if we enjoy, we 
are still unsatisfied, — it is with anguish of spirit, and 
circumstances of vexation. A great heap of riches makes 
neither our clothes warm, nor our meat more nutritive, 
nor our bevarage more pleasant; it feeds the eye, but 
never fills it ; but, like drink to a hydropic person, 
increases the thirst and promotes the torment. But the 
grace of God, though but like a grain of mustard seed, 
fills up the furrows of the heart ; and, as the capacity 
increases, itself grows up in equal degrees, and never 



-B- 



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a- 



S4 SECOND WEEK. 



suffers any emptiness or dissatisfaction ; but carries content 
and fulness all the way, and the degrees of augmentation 
are not steps and near approaches to satisfaction, but 
increasings of the capacity. The soul is satisfied all the 
Tray, and receives more ; not because it wanted anything, 
but that it can hold more, — is more receptive of felicities. 
And, in every minute of sanctification, there is so excellent 
a condition of joy and high satisfaction, that the very 
calamities, the afflictions and persecutions of the world, 
are turned into felicities by the activity of the prevailing 
ingredient ; for now that all passionate desires are dead, 
and there is nothing remaining that is vexatious, the 
peace, the serenity, the quiet sleeps, the evenness of spirit 
and contempt of things below, remove the soul from all 
neighbourhood of displeasure, and place it at the foot of 
the throne, whither, when it is ascended, it is possessed of 
felicities eternal. These were the waters which were given 
us to drink when, with the rod of God, the rock, Jesus 
Christ, was smittten. The spirit of God moves for ever 
upon these waters, and when the angel of the covenant 
hath stirred the pool, whoever descends hither shall find 
health and peace, joys spiritual, and the satisfactions of 
eternitv. 



Fountain of life and living breath, 

Whose mercies never fail nor fade ! 
Fill me with life that hath no death, 

Fill me with light that hath no shade; 
Appoint the remnant of my days 

To see Thy power, and sing Thy praise. 

i ff 



-a 



TUESDAY EVENING. 



Lord God of gods, before whose throne 
Stand storms and fire ! what shall we 

Return to heaven, that is our own. 
When all the world belongs to Thee? 

We have no offerings to impart 

But praises, and a wounded heart 

Great God! whose kingdom hath no end; 

Into whose secrets none can dive; 
Whose mercy none can apprehend : 

Whose justice none can feel and live ! 
What my dull hear: cannot aspire 
To know. Lord, teach me to admire. 



PEAYER 

Great and glorious Lord our God ! I would now 
present myself before Thee, to acknowledge Thee as the 
author of every mercy, and to supplicate the continuance 
of Thy favour. At the close of another day, would I 
remember with gratitude that great goodness which has 
been displayed in its various comforts and enjoyments. 
Oh, teach me to grow in goodness, by a constant struggle 
with my faults and temper, and by constant prayer to 
Thee for help who alone givest the victory. Teach my 
heart contented and humble submission to Thy will, though 
it seem hard to bear. Suffer me not to dwell too much on 
self'; and let me put far from me every mean and unworthy 
feeling. Preserve in me a deep sense of my accountability 
to Thee for the manner in which I employ, not only every 



~4 



tfi -Eh 

86 SECOXD WEEK. 



hour of my life, but every faculty of ray mind. Make me 
to feel the exceeding worth of my immortal soul. Make 
me to feel that the salvation which we are exhorted to 
work out with fear and trembling ought to be no light 
concern. Oh ! keep me from indifference to it. Suffer 
me not to waste my precious time in vain, frivolous, and 
unprofitable pursuits. Guard me in my hours of serious 
business, and especially in those of my professed com- 
munings with Thee, against the intrusion of any thoughts 
that would be unseasonable. Guard me at all times from 
thoughts that have in them the least shadow of a sin 
against purity, charity, or piety. Cast down every imagi- 
nation within me that exalteth itself against the knowledge 
of Thee ; and bring into captivity every thought to the 
obedience of Christ. Hear me, I beseech thee, and grant 
that there may be continually in my heart, as well as now 
on my lips, glory to Thee, our God and Father, through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 




•B-*- 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 



-a 



WEDNESDAY MOENING. 




&en. xtrf M 13, — Tlmn. firtxxi, sssst me. 



i N habitual regard to God as the disposer of events 
is essential to the comfort of life. A firm convic- 
tion that whatever be our station in society it is 
of God's appointment, and that whatever be our 
talents He is the giver of them, will be found no 
less essential to the due exercise and improvement 
of the various powers conferred upon us. Under its influ- 
ence we shall be preserved from all false and misleading 
views of the nature and end of human life, and of the 
value of the objects which solicit our regard; we shall 
gain clear conceptions of what we are required to do, in 
order to answer the design for which we were sent into the 
world ; and in the use and improvement of our opportuni- 
ties, and means of usefulness, we shall be inclined to dili- 
gence and perseverance. We cannot be idle when we 
know that we are in the presence of our great Master. 
We cannot presume to waste or to hide our talents if we 
be under the habitual persuasion that He who has assigned 
us our task marks every instance of negligence, takes notice 
of every unprofitable hour we spend, and every useless 

^ . $ 



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88 SECOND WEEK. 



tn 



pursuit iu which we engage. Xor, on the other hand, if 
we be fully persuaded that our zeal and fidelity are not 
unobserved by His all-seeing eye, shall we be discouraged 
if they are not immediately rewarded, if our exertions be 
undervalued, apparently unsuccessful, or even requited 
with ingratitude. While we enjoy the unspeakable delight 
of an approving conscience, we shall be encouraged by the 
sure prospect of applause, more satisfying than our fellow 
mortals can give ; of a reward more durable than this 
world has to bestow. Our care will be to " occupy all our 
talents," and, for the rest, to refer ourselves to Him who 
j udgeth righteously. 

Whatever, then, may be the sphere in which we move; 
in whatever measure of health, or power, or understanding, 
or any other talent which may be employed for the good 
of others be dealt out to us ; whether our influence be 
extended or confined, our talents many or few, let us care- 
fully remember, that diligent or slothful, persevering or 
inconstant, we are "ever in our great Task-Master's eye." 



Speak with us, Lord, Thyself reveal, 
While here on earth we rove; 

Speak to our hearts, and let us feel 
The kindling of Thy love. 

With Thee conversing, we forget 
All time, and toil, and care; 

Labour is rest, and pain is sweet, 
If Tliou, my God. art here. 



is- — m 



WEDNESDAY MORXI\G. 89 



T1 



Here then, my God. vouchsafe to stay, 

And bid my heart rejoice ; 
My boundiug heart shall own Thy sway, 

And echo to Thy voice. 

Thou callest me to seek Thy face! 

Tis all I wish to seek; 
To attend the whispers of Thy grace, 

And hear Thee inly speak. 

Let this my every hour employ 

Till I Thy glory see: 
Enter into my Masters joy, 

And find my heaven in Thee. 



PEAYEE. 

God, make me to cease from man, whose breath is in 
his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted of ? Oh 
turn my fear of men's faces into love of their souls. Let 
me esteem them as fellow servants in Thy work, and fellow 
travellers to our long home. And where I cannot promote 
their duty and happiness, grant, Lord, that they may 
not hinder mine : and that, when I am not edified, I may 
not be corrupted by them. God ! may I remember that 
Thou seest me. May Thy presence ever sway me more 
than the presence of men ; let me account it a small thing 
to be judged of them : and, instead of being determined 
by their way or humour, let me regard my own conscience 
more than their opinion ; and do all in Thy sight, heartily 
as unto Thee. Let it nut be my aim to ingratiate mvself 



w 



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90 SECOND WEEK. 



with men, but to please the great Judge of all. Yet keep 
Thy servant, Lord, from giving scandal and offence to 
any ; that I may not, by pride and passion, by vanity and 
indiscretion, or by moroseness and uncliaritableness, dis- 
honour my profession, or make the way of truth be evil 
spoken of. But help me, my God and Guide, to walk 
circumspectly ; and to speak and act with due considera- 
tion of all times and places, persons and circumstances. 
Enable me to behave myself wisely, and to guide my 
affairs with discretion ; and so to go in and out among my 
fellow creatures upon earth as to preserve my integrity in 
Thy sight, and have my conversation in heaven, and still 
enjoy friendship with Thee and with Thy dear Son, our 
only Lord and Saviour. Amen. 




WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



91 



■a 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



jptebrsurs xii., 9. — Tto Fatter of Spirits 



* * 




^HAT thoughts of love and tenderness are 
awakened by the name of father ! He was 
my guardian and support in childhood ; he 
sympathises in all my joys and sorrows ; I can 
fly to him in all my troubles with the certainty 
that his arms are ever open to receive me. If 
I have gone astray, he rebukes me ; but the sorrow in his 
tone and manner shows how deeply he is wounded, and 
this touches my heart more than any punishment. 

Is that beloved parent gone to his eternal dwelling? 
I feel that now, as ever, where he is, is my home; — I have 
no abiding rest but there. All that I most treasure is 
associated with the thought of him ; — most of it I have 
had directly from him. 

If such are some of my thoughts and feelings towards 
my earthly father — now no longer of earth and sharing 
the weakness of mortality, but next to be known personally 
to me as of heaven, heavenly, — what should be those I 
entertain towards the Father of my immortal spirit ? 

Christ only can lead us to the " Father of spirits ;" and, 
through him, the sure word of revelation has declared to 



■a- 



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92 SECOND WEEK. 



n 



us that all that is most beautiful and good in the earthly 
relationship exists in perfection in the heavenly one. I 
feel that everything I truly enjoy is spiritual. Let me, 
then, thank the Father of my spirit for it. I constantly 
want aid and guidance and correction and chastisement ; 
the Father of my spirit Trill bestow it with all the tender- 
ness of my earthly parent, and with unbounded wisdom. 
And if my joys and sorrows are such that I do not hesitate 
to tell them to Him, I shall feel them heightened, not 
indeed by human sympathy, precious as it is, but by their 
being blended with infinite love and perfection, by their 
being under the smile of the Father of spirits. 

Yet, do I hold daily and hourly communion with Him ? 
Do I freely pour out my soul to Him 'r P 1 I tell Hiin my 
joys, and fly to Him in my sorrows r Do I remember that, 
being a child of His immortal spirit, I should walk in the 
spirit ? Heavenly Father ! Thou only knowest ! search 
me and try my ways ! chasten me in Thy love as Thine 
own son, that I may be partaker of Thy holin:---. 

my Father, may I seek only Thee, and do Thy will; 
so mav mv Heaven besrin here, before Thou callest me to 
Thy more immediate presence above ! 



Is there a lone and dreary hour, 

When worldly comforts lose their powr; 

My Father! let me turn to The 

each thought of darkness free. 

.ere a lime of fear 
Which sees no pros relief; 

gloom; 

I bid ray heart its calm resume. 

i Er 1 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



"n 



Is there an hour of peace and joy, 
When hope is all my soul's employ; 
My Father! still my hopes will roam, 
Until they rest with Thee, their home. 

The noontide blaze, the midnight scene, 
The dawn or twilight's sweet serene; 
The sick, nay e'en the dying hour, 
Shall own my Fathers grace and pow'r. 



PEAYEE. 

Lord, our Heavenly Father! when we neglect our 
duty in any respect, we feel backward to make our 
appearance before Thee. Let me free my mind from all 
consciousness of guilt and of self-reproach, by a constant 
and a steady discharge of my whole duty. let me cast 
off my sins and negligences and evil thoughts ; and with 
a contrite heart ask Thy pardoning mercy. May I ex- 
perience that inward peace which religion alone can give. 
May I live nearer and closer unto Thee, my Father. Oh 
that there were such a heart in me that I could at all 
times live, act, and speak as in Thy presence. Thou 
knowest, indeed, that in my better moments I would not 
willingly transgress even the least of Thy commandments : 
yet how dull and languid have been my affections ! how 
inadequate the feelings of my heart for the numb' 
blessings which from day to day Thou showercst down 



tfh- HJ 

94 SECOND WEEK. 



upon me. may there be greater devotedness to Thee; 
and a more earnest purpose, as a follower of Jesus, to 
"bless my brethren of mankind, to promote their present 
and their everlasting welfare. Give me the spirit of 
humble trust and of patient endurance. Whatever may 
be my trials, enable me, I beseech Thee, to bear them 
with resignation and cheerfulness, as becometh the faithful 
disciple of him who endured the cross and despised the 
shame for us men, and for our salvation ; and whose 
prayer it was, "Father, not my will, but Thine be done." 
hear me, blessed Father ! Amen. 




r£_ , gj 



THURSDAY MOBNING. 95 



^ 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



Xohxi xi M 30, — Tterr said the Jews, ssb tour to 
kttred him. 

•24^ i ET me, then, " see how Jesus loved," — what was 
j/^W the manner in which the kind affections were 
c^si^ manifested in him. The hours when our Lord 
°^&£ was alone with his disciples, or the family at 
<&|? Bethany, are those in which we can most clearly 
trace the principles by which he was guided in 
his feelings and conduct in private life, and the manner of 
their operation. Nothing in those hours of social inter- 
course is so striking as our Lord's habitual patient for- 
bearance and self-restraint. The "twelve" had shown, 
by leaving their employments to follow him, such piety 
and sincerity of purpose, as had, with their attachment to 
his person, won his regard; but these good points in their 
character were united with no small degree of ignorance, 
prejudice, and ambition. There is scarcely one of these 
friendly interviews, in which we do not find them giving 
him occasion for this forbearance, and the superior delicacy 
of our Saviour's perception of right must have made them 
still more trying to him ; yet his meek affection was equal 
to the demands upon it. It operated also to prevent him 
from giving them present pleasure, or saving them from 



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4=1- 



96 SECOND WEEK. 



present pain, of a worldly nature. The disciples were not 
gratified with a miraculous gift of two hundred denarii to 
buy food for the fainting crowds, though they were made 
happy by, the honourable employment of distributing the 
ample yet frugal meal. Lazarus was not saved from sick- 
ness and dissolution, nor his sisters from sorrow, though 
he was eventually restored to their embraces and to life. 
His love to his mother was not permitted to detain him 
from public life, when the spirit of Jehovah called him out 
to preach glad tidings ; though, before that time, his filial 
submission drew him instantly from the interesting con- 
versation in the Temple, and prompted him to continue for 
many years in subjection to his parents. 

Thus was every feeling, word, and action of our Lord, 
founded on love to God, producing conformity to His will; 
— it was the pure affect ion of a sanctified spirit for an 
infinitely Holy Being. And this love to God at once gave 
him the direction, and determined the intensity, of his love 
to his fellow mortals. His love to man was stronger than 
death, but not stronger than duty ; it was equally tender 
and forbearing, unselfish and untiring ; and thus it was lie 
loved. 

Here, then, is my pattern, in its principle, its direction 
and degree. Let me look into the state of my kind 
affections, and see how far they accord with those of 
Jesus ; for this self-knowledge will be requisite. Let me 
aim at a nearer resemblance to Him in these respects ; but 
for that, there must be self-government. Let me endeavour 
to know the extent of my deficiencies, — this will demand 
both humility and courage. Let me open my mind to an 
extensive survey of the various instances of kindness I 
have received in looks and manner, as well as in words 



m^ 



1 



THUBSDAY MOBNING. 



^ 



and action, — this will call forth my grateful and earnest 
endeavour to return them. Let me not, however, imagine 
that I can maintain and exercise these affections perfectly, 
if they are not habitually directed to Him who is most 
worthy of all created beings to be loved, — the <; !Man 
Christ Jesus."' 

Ye-, my dear Saviour must I love, 
Who first the generous feeling knew. 

His piety and purity will refine my affections ; his wisdom 
and truth and benevolence will chasten and direct my 
active endeavours to increase the happiness, and bear and 
submit to the weakness and errors, of those I love. 



■ See how he lov'dT exclaim'd the Jews. 
When Jesus o'er his Lazarus wept ; 
My grateful heart the words shall use. 
While on bis life my eye is kept 

how he lov'd, who travell'd on. 
T i/ching the doctrine from the sides; 
Who hade disease and pain he gone, 
And calTd the sleeping dead to rise. 

See how he loVd. who, firm, yet mild, 
Patient endured the scoffing tongue; 

Who "ft provoked, yet ne'er revil'd. 
Nor did his greatest foe a wrong. 

how he lov'd. who never shrank 
From t<>il or dauber, pain or death ; 
Who all the cup of sorrow drank. 
And meekly yielded up his breath. 



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98 SECOND WEEK 



See how he lov*cl who died for man; 

Who laboured thus, and thus endur'd, 
To finish the all-gracious plan, 

Which life and heaven to man secur'd. 

And shall such love not meet return ? 

Not prompt the conduct, move the breast ? 
Shall not my grateful bosom burn 

To prove my love by every test? 

Yes! my dear Saviour will I love, 
"Who every generous feeling knew : 

His faithful follower ever prove, 
And keep his pattern still in view. 



PEAYEE. 

God, our Heavenly Father, how great have been the 
offers of Thy mercy unto the children of men by Thy Son 
Jesus Christ. May I not receive the grace of God in vain. 
Thou Thyself hast deigned to beseech us ; Christ hath died 
for us. Shall his example and sufferings, and Thy invita- 
tions, God, be unheeded by me ? Oh ! quicken my 
heart with thankfulness, love, and devoted zeal ; and 
enable me to offer myself body and soul to Thee, the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May I be his true 
follower. He hath said ""Whosoever will be my disciple, 
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow 
me." And is any cross of ours equal to the cross of Christ ? 
Shall my love of Christ be so feeble an emotion that it will 
encounter no difficulty, that it will make no sacrifice? 



t&— 



—cl 






THURSDAY MORNING. 99 




-a 



Oh! never let me shrink from a faithful allegiance unto 
our blessed Saviour. Hath he not promised all needful 
help to those who seek it in faith ? Shall I not be enabled 
to bear and do all things in his spirit ? And have I not 
the blessed assurance that nothing shall ever separate us 
from Thy love to us in Christ Jesus ? May I feel that this 
world is not my portion ; that it must not have my heart. 
May all I possess, — my time, my thoughts, my energies, 
my worldly means, be consecrated entirely unto Thee, our 
God ; and may I, with Thy gracious help, go on from 
strength to strength, from glory to glory, till mortality is 
swallowed up of life ; through him that died, and rose 
again, and that sitteth at Thy right hand for evermore. 
Amen. 



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100 



--a 



SECOND WEEK. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 




Isaiah xxx. , 1&— -In qi#sto£68 and in sxmfidmiCB shall 
"be ijmtr strength, 

MY soul ! may not these words be addressed to 
thee ? Not only my active endeavours to do my 
duty, but even my secret efforts and aspirings are 
wanting in that repose of spirit, that calm waiting 
upon God, which is so characteristic of the peace 
of the Gospel. 
The strong emotions of the soul, the striving with tears, 
the earnestly pressing forward, may all be found necessary 
in the Christian warfare, to reveal the depths of the heart; 
to excite a longing desire for heavenly things ; to prepare 
and nerve the Christian for the combat ; —but when he has 
called up all his powers, and kindled the holy flame, let 
ever3 T thing subside into that calm which dwells in the ful- 
ness of the spirit; — " in quietness shall be your strength. " 

And it shall bo in confidence. In confidence, not merely 
that all things are ordered by an all- wise and holy Being ; 
but that Tlis watchful eye has an individual care for every 
one of His creatures, and appoints for each that mode of 
discipline which He knows to be most conducive to his 
well-being ; in confidence that He heareth prayer, and will 
grant aid where it is truly sought ; in confidence in His 



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THURSDAY EVENING. 101 



-a 



love to us, which, is unbounded as His own infinite nature. 
"Where can we gain strength but in such confidence as this? 

Quietness precedes confidence. When, in the midst of 
the stormy whirlwind of action and passion, we are apt to 
trust to our own frail barks, — to impute all we effect to 
our own efforts, — to cry, " Behold this great Babylon that I 
have built ;" and we hear not the voice of God until after 
the storm, in the still small whisper in our souls. When 
the heart is calmed, we can feel the power and behold the 
brightness of our Father's love ; we can yield ourselves to 
Him, and desire to be led by Him wherever He chooseth. 
Thus we can have confidence that we are treading in the 
right path ; and we shall feel a strength which will carry 
us through the troubles and temptations of life. 

How long, my soul, wilt thou be restless and agitated 
by unreasonable activity, — by over-excited feelings, — by 
an engrossing imagination, — in fine, by all those things 
which are not quietness ? 

my Father ! do Thou grant me Thine aid to come to 
Thee with confidence, — to find in Thee my strength. 



Loed ! it is not life to live, 
If Thy presence Thou deny : 

Lord ! if Thou Thy presence give, 
'Tis no longer death to die. 

Source and Giver of repose ! 

Singly from Thy smile it flows ; 

Thee to see, and Thee to love, 

Perfect bliss, below, above. 



fl --B 1 



102 SECOND WEEK. 



■a 



PEAYEE. 

Lord and Father ! In Tliee only is the fountain of 
life. In Thy presence alone trouble passes away, and 
afflictions become sweet. I would not desire to find joy 
apart from Thee, nor peace in following my own ways. 
Thou hast declared that the wages of sin is death, and I 
feel that it is so. When we repine and are fretful, we 
know that our hearts love not Thee in Thy dealings. 
Father ! give me life in Thy light and love. May eternal 
life abide within me ; so that sorrow and discontent and 
evil desires, and all perishable things, shall be swallowed 
up in the intensity of the spiritual affections, and shall 
give place to heavenly purposes and hopes. And in the 
times of deep affliction, when the flesh is weak through 
manifold trials, and the heavy hand of suffering is laid 
upon me, and the burden of past remembrance adds bit- 
terness to gloom, then, Father, be Thou especially near 
to deliver me through the mighty power of Thy spiritual 
strength. Thus be Thou my support, so long as Thou 
hast work of active or patient service for me, in this im- 
perfect being, and when Thou hast done with me here, 
and callest me to the unseen world, may I not feel that I 
am losing that which has hitherto been life, but finding 
that which before I had enjoyed in part only, — even Thy 
perfect love, Father, in the eternal kingdom of Thy 
blessed Son, our Redeemer. Amen. 



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ft 



4 



rfr 



FPJDAY MORNING. 103 



FRIDAY MORNIXG. 




2 ©m\ r.. 7. — Far tre ttralfe kg faith, nut bjj sight. 



^E walk by faith,'' says the apostle, and "not by 
sight." We are guided by the things eternal, 
rather than by the things temporal. We pursue 
the realities, rather than the shadows. We fasten 
our hold on that which is permanent, rather than 
on that which our sight itself may tell us is pass- 
ing away. In the concerns of our souls, we regard the 
Author of our souls, and not the enemies of our souls. 
We strive to conform our conduct to the commandments of 
God, rather than to the custom of the time. We keep our 
hearts fixed on the world which is to come, and the glories 
which will be revealed, rather than on the present world, 
which soon will be no more, and its objects, which will 
soon vanish from our e}*es. This is the declaration of 
St. Paul ; and the way which he adopts and announces is 
the only true, and rational, and living way. The Christian 
has far more reason, more evidence, and better authority 
for walking by faith, in the path of conduct, and the 
regulation of life, than they who question or wonder at 
him can have for walking by sight. In his turn he may 

4- — . ^ 



£h : *~fb 

104 SECOND WEEK. 



question and wonder at them. Why, he may ask, do you 
walk by sight ? Why, formed to look upward, are you 
continually bending your spirit towards earth ? Why do 
you confine your hope, that divine and soaring faculty, to 
fleeting objects, which perish while you pursue them? 
Why do you bind your affections so tightly to things 
which, though visible, are visibly withering, and which, 
even if they should remain, cannot follow you, cannot be 
taken with you out of the world ? Why do you look for 
your friends among the dead, as if the clods of the valley 
could bury goodness, or hide and cover sin ? Are you your- 
selves going nowhere but to the grave, which necessarily 
bounds and terminates every earthly prospect? Alas! that 
all your sight, that all your evidence, should be shut up 
there ; should end by conducting you there ! Is there no 
God, no Christ, no resurrection, no immortality? Is the 
short life of sense more worthy than the eternal life of the 
soul ? Oh ! wdiy do you walk by sight ? 

Do I walk by faith ? Do I walk as if there were other 
things in existence beside what I see, and of far more 
glory and desirableness than what I see with my mortal 
sight ? Do I walk as if Christ had risen from the dead 
and revealed another world to my soul, in comparison with 
wdiich this world is nothing ; but in preparation for which 
this world is everything ? Let me ponder with myself that 
question. And let me remember that the question is not 
whether I merely believe in God, in Christ, in the unseen 
and spiritual world, but whether I mould my dispositions, 
my purposes, my actions, after the image of that belief; 
not merely whether I have faith, but more especially 
whether I walk by faith ; whether, believing in God, I 
walk in the way of His commandments; whether, believing 

fr ^ _Efj 



CD 

FRIDAY MORNING. 105 



in Christ, I walk as he walked, in benevolence, self-denial, 
and piety; whether, believing in his resurrection, I acknow- 
ledge its power, and rise from sin, and set my affections 
on things above ? 



Thou! in sovereign majesty enthroned 

O'er all the seen and unseen universe; 

Supreme, omnipotent, all-wise, all-good ; 

For ever present, though invisible ; 

Thee, King and Father, humbly I adore ! 

Thee, I adore, eternal light and love! 

Yet who can worthily express Thy praise, 

That praise which falters on angelic tongues; 

That praise, above e'en seraph's loftiest lays? 

Sole fountain of existence, and of all 

For which existence may be hail'd and priz'd, 

What, what is man, that he may raise to Thee 

His thought, his prayer! Excellent Supreme, 

From whom alone are all the pow'rs of thought, 

Aid me my thought, my love, to raise to Thee! 

Aid me on Thee to fix my best desires; 

Of Thee to seek my best, my highest good; 

In Thee to find my happiness complete ! 

And where, where, but at that sacred fount, 

That spring perennial of heavenly peace, 

At which angelic natures undenTd. 

And the perfected spirits of the just. 

Once here on earth, drink and are satisfied. — 

Where, God. shall man. immortal man. 

Slake his insatiable, his burning thirst, 

But at that sacred fountain of Thy grace, 

Thy truth eternal. Thy unfathom'd love, 

Which springs and liows beneath Thy mercy seat? 

O glorious spring of life, for ever full. 

For ever flowing, rich, and free to all, 



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| 1 . SECONl 



Liv 



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Jus way, 

~.:-.- :'-.z . lips 
'_ _c :"_:.: irinks. 

■ :Ti:->: arain. 
:-. -eel iiiii 



By tT'17 na^ie :: e:;.e:::.i.e eiiie.areT : 

Fcr i: ~as :"^:u ~_: iel's: iny ::.::::: =:il 

Frm ear±'s leinsive srres— s. :: :ii: rier ~eii 

Here. ilen. :::e_: iie:i:e::r±. :;e -7 reseinr i:i.3:e. 



In Chris: nv L:rl IL7 -r::: ^peakaiiie : 
Thy S:n. :Te sirziei's frieni sni M~^.5rll:r: 
TLe vrsrlerefs riiie. 'It ^i:zn:er"= :■■■:■ n: ereer : 
Tie — :rn ;-.::! — r arirl _--_-_-_::? res: azi.i rea.:e. 
Father '. :•: Tiiee a E-prhaTi: I ::n e. 
Ir. Tiiee :: ini 117 ciii-s. :v 7 hea* rii. r_7 _~ — e! 
Pristrate in has:. Thy nercy I ita-hre. 
Tha: raer:- .-;:::, rev h;h — I ah: r: re:re! 



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P I: A Y E E, 

L:z= ! T: are co—i—Liv ^i:ii Tiiee. Impress iis 

_'_: iiTM'ii 17 hear:, tlea: i: may : ;e rarre. and a-lad, 

and grateful. Le: me rr:: fhr^e: Tiiv presence. arid Tiiv 

LvlrT Ali Thy : :..- leahr..- rowar-is tfs ,he^ Thy ?: . d- 

and bounty. When ^re know a 
Thou art with us ? our weakn-: i imed to s 
darknes- light* our doubts and fears to ho 
fiden:;. I: Le then that temptation loses its povrer. and 
sin its dominion, and trials their weight. It is then that 
roesee ;>rne in patience, and duties performed with 



FEIDAY MOEXIK . 10 



— 



pleasure. Lord! I need, I ask, a lively and constant 
sense of Thine omnipotence, to make me holy and happy. 
Lord, I implore Thy guidance. Thy counsel alone can 
direct me in the way f peace and safety. It is Thy 
wisdom that makes us truly wise. Make me to know and 
follow the teachings of Thy word and Spirit, and the 
example of Thy Son, that I may honour Thee on earth, 
and be prepared for the mansions of glory in Thy king- 
dom. May I ever contemplate Thee as the sum of all 
perfection, the chief good, the greatest and most glorious 
Being in the universe ; infinitely worthy of the homage, 
praise, and obedience of all thy creatures. May I see that 
without Thee we are nothing ; and that all our springs of 
life and happiness are in Thee. Grant me this pious con- 
centration of feeling and thought, that my soul may be 
united to Thee by a holy, supreme, and constant love. 
And when I view Thee as the only object of our supreme 
regard in heaven, may nothing on the earth destroy or 
r my love to Thee. Let me not esteem the creature 
more than the Creator ; or lose sight of the Giver in His 
manifold gifts. Purify and elevate the desires of my soul, 
so that it may be my study and delight to do Thy will, 
and please Thee in all things. So long as I dwell on 
earth, may I live as a pilgrim and stranger ; and lay up 
my treasure, and have my conversation in heaven. I ask 
it in the name of our ever blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 



•*$*|&63^ 



— 



[f3 — -ftl; 

108 SECOND WEEK. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 




Xzvzmwh'xxxi., 18* — Tim* thmt me, and X shall 
lis turned. 



^S this truly and earnestly my prayer? Do I 

sincerely desire to be turned? Do I feel my own 

inability, unaided, to work the great change of 

heart which God requires, which my own soul longs 

^ after ? Father, Thou knowest. 

I continually feel my weakness, and I know 
that this weakness in great part arises from not resting 
firmly and constantly on my Father's arm, from not being 
girt with the armour of faith. Do I pray from my inmost 
soul, " Out of weakness make me strong?" I have daily 
and humiliating proofs of the evil that is in me ; I see my 
best resolves, my highest aspirations stifled by unholy 
passions ; my purest actions sullied by self-seeking. Is my 
sincere and earnest supplication, " Give me a clean heart, 
God, and renew a right spirit within me?" 

He ever heareth prayer ; faint and lowly though it 
be. He will give it an answer of peace, though it may be 
very different from that which we should, in our ignorance, 
have desired. But He does send it ; let me receive it 



4~ 



# 



FRIDAY EVENING. 109 



ft 



humbly and thankfully as a token of His love ; let me be 
ready to be turned, when, in answer to my prayer, He 
turns me. Perhaps the messenger He sends to call my 
wandering heart back to Himself is in a form in which I 
scarcely recognise it as such. It may be the loss of 
property, of worldly consideration ; shall I harden my 
heart against it, and receive it with stoical indifference? 
rather let me humbly listen to its voice, warning me to 
set my affections on things above, not on things below, 
and meekly suffer myself to be turned to whatever God 
would have me to be. Perhaps friends have proved 
faithless, and instead of filling my cup of life with sweet- 
ness, have embittered it with heart-burnings, with unjust 
suspicions. This too is from God, who thus warns me to 
centre my highest trust and love in Him alone. Or my 
schemes of usefulness have failed, as it seems, through the 
perverseness and ill-will of those who should have been 
foremost to aid them. Even this is an answer to my 
prayer; God would so teach me to be a more humble 
labourer in His vineyard, — to sow and plant diligently, and 
leave it to Him to give the increase in His own good time. 
It may be that God visits me with a grievous sickness ; the 
burden of the flesh becomes very heavy, and, without the 
sure faith that it comes from my Father, — I ini^ht desire 
for myself that I should die. Let me even now, in my 
sorest agony, thank my God that He is thus turning me. 
It is thus that He breaks my proud spirit ; it is thus that 
He opens my soul to the tender influence of love ; thus 
does He make me feel the nothingness of all but Him ; 
thus does He turn me to Himself. 

my Father ; my prayers are very weak ; my best 
resolves are but as the morning dew, which soon passeth 

£ $ 



rf3 ■ Qj 

110 SECOXD WEEK. 



away. Quicken Thou me with Thy spirit: answer my 
prayers, not after my own erring desires, but after Thy 
own perfect wisdom and lore, and finally receive me to 
Thyself, to be one with Thee I 



Fhom the recesses of a lowly spirit 
My bumble prayer ascends — Father, hear it ! 
Upsoaring on the wings of fear and meakness, 
Forgive its weakness. 

I know, I feel, how mean and how unworthy 
The trembling sacrifice I pour before Thee; 
"What can I offer in Thy presence holy, 
But sin and folly? 

For in Thy sight — who every bosom viewest, 
Cold are our warmest vows, and vain our truest; 
Thoughts of a hurrying hour; our lips repeat them, 
Our hearts forget them. 

We see Thy hand — it leads us, it supports us ; 
We hear Thy voice — it counsels and it courts us; 
And then we turn away — and still Thy kindness 
Pardons our blindness. 



And still Thy rain descends, Thy sun is glowing; 
Fruits ripen round, flowers are beneath us blowing; 
And, as if man were some deserving creature, 
Joys cover nature. 

how long suffering. Lord ! but Thou delightest 
To win with love the wandering — Thou invitest 
"By smiles of mercy, — not by frowns or terrors, 
Man from his errors. 



ca 




FRIDAY EVENING. Ill 



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Who can resist Thy gentle call— appealing 
To every generous thought and grateful feeling? 
Thy voice paternal — whispering, watching ever, 
My bosom? — Never. 

Father and Saviour! plant within this bosom 
These seeds of holiness — and bid them blossom 
In fragrance and in beauty bright and vernal, 
And spring eternal. 

Then place them in those everlasting gardens, 
Where angels walk, and seraphs are the wardens; 
"Where every flower that creeps through death's dark portal. 
Becomes immortal. 



PEAYEE. 

Father of mercies, who graciously bestowest Thy 
Holy Spirit on such as seek it in sincerity and truth, grant 
that I may come before Thee at this time in humility and 
loye, and do Thou help me effectually against my sins and 
infirmities. heayenly Father, leaye me not, I pray 
Thee, to myself; but be pleased yet to moye me to the 
loye and obedience of whatever Thou dost command. 
Thou knowest, Searcher of hearts, how I fear and distrust 
myself. Oh bring me, through Christ our Eedeemer, unto 
Thyself, by whatever means Thou shalt deem best ; that I 
may yield myself entirely to the influence of Thy Holy 
Spirit. Make me earnest and faithful, that I may do my 
part in the great work of the soul's salvation. May I not 
shrink from whatever Thou shalt require at my hands. 



*-* 



a- 



112 SECOND WEEK. 



Oil deign to remove from me weakness, indecision, want 
of faith ; and grant that I may serve Thee with entire love 
and trust and devotedness to duty. I would love Thee, 
our God and Father, with all my heart, and mind, and 
soul, and strength. Oh may I love Thy Son, our Saviour, 
and his blessed work, and may I prefer him and his cross 
before all that this world can offer. Breathe, God, the 
spirit of holiness into my spirit, and make me truly and 
solely devoted unto Thee. Let me through Christ be 
Thine in every purpose of my soul; Thine in all my 
thoughts and plans ; Thine in all my labours ; Thine in my 
intercourse with my family, my friends, and the world; 
Thine in every joy, in every sorrow; Thine in all the 
changes of life, in the hour of death, and in eternity. 
Amen. 




EH— m 



SATURDAY MOBNING. 113 



-a 



SATURDAY MORNING, 



Jliarkx.. 50. — QxtA to, casting airag bis garment, 
rose awl caiKce to .Jesus. 

£t4 *\ESI S called the blind Bartimaeus. He hesitated 
Sv^P not one moment ; he threw away every incurn- 
pOdkQbrance ; he rose from the posture of hopeless 

cffjr* indolence, and hastened to him who was strong to 
v / saYe. Has Jesus neYer called us ? When, indeed, 
has he not called us ? He calls us to our prayers, — 
" Seek, and ye shall find, — ask the Father in my name." 
He calls us to his feast, — '-'This do in remembrance of 
me." Yet are we even willing to approach? We are 
sitting : if lie would come to us we might receive him ; but 
we will not rise, still less will we cast away our garments : 
and any mantle of pride, any habit of indolence, is enough 
to keep us from him. The blind man was ready to come 
when Christ called, because he had been very forward in 
calling on Christ. He knew his need and welcomed his 
physician. 

As for us, instead of calling loudly on Christ, by sum- 
moning to our aid the blessed promises of his word, we 
suiier him to call loudly on us. We allow conscience, time 
after time, to repeat to us the invitations of the Gospel, 



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and all in vain. We rebuke ii ; 

I here ~e Lire, still blini. s:o 
and Chris:, ineanwhile, having 1 
us. '"'It warning ;: Prowl lea 
unheeded, on :ar ears. We tax 
and ":; ~: :zae deaf a? well as blind 

Have pity on lis. <J car Fa:: 
merciful of Beings '. Thou who 
Look hi us us ^e si: by the way 
Jesofl has tared, that we may : 
Thee! 



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unto 



Lobd! we sit and cry to Thee. 


lake the blind beside the way; 


LMahe :\a isr/iea I - : :w :•: see 


I:: _e : " : Thv i ::t :: I-iv : 


Lcrl! rr". -ike ::.: 5 ah en li-la, 


Aiol give Th-self m:: : ir si_rbt.. 


Lord la not ask to gaze 


On our dim and earthlj 


light that still shall blaze 


- : .: :iirse hath ran 


. rv ; 11. v ". -: ;.".. : ir. 






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=-- 



SATURDAY MORNING. 115 



■a 



PEAYEE. 

Father of light, every good and perfect gift eonieth 
from Thee. I thank Thee for the light which shines npon 
the world with beauty and health, and for the eyes which 
are the light of my body, revealing to me the glories amidst 
which I dwell. My Father, what a priceless blessing hast 
Thou given to me, even from my birth. Truly the light 
is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold 
the sun ! that I may be as eyes to the blind, and help 
and cheer those who live in a perpetual night. But, most 
holy God, there may be darkness even at noon -day ; whilst 
I think I see, I may be blind — blind in heart, blind in 
soul — the very light within me may be darkness. Thou 
who didst send the true Light froni [heaven, shine on me I 
beseech Thee ; clear away the motes and the beams that 
blind me, that there may be no dark place within. Turn 
away mine eyes from beholding vanity; let them never be 
the occasions of sin. In Thy light may I see li^ht. May 
the beauties which gladden my sight sanctify my heart, 
and rejoice my soul. May the way of duty become clearer, 
and the beamings of Thy love more manifest. May the 
clouds and darkness disperse, and may the true light shine 
on me. May Tliy visible mercies prepare me for those 
that eye hath not seen ; and when the night hath come 
wherein no man can work, and mine eyelids are sealed in 
death, then, Thou God and Father of my Saviour Jesu> 
Christ, open to me the glories of the heavenly day, and 
admit my soul to dwell with him in the eternal light of 
eternal love. Amen. 



^z: 



c_r- 



116 



SECOND WEEK 



-a 



SATUEDAT EVENING. 




Rinnans xiii.j 10. — LtrrP is tto fulfilling nf tbn> lair. 



SlW has no hold on our affections. It is an 
abstract principle regulating our behaviour to one 
another. It makes an appeal to the mind for 
support : and if the mind had unbounded sway, 
law would be all-powerful ; for what it commands 
would be perceived to be best, not only for those 
whom it appears particularly intended to protect, our 
neighbours, but also for ourselves. But man is swayed 
by self-love and by his feelings, as well as by his mind : 
and they most commonly hold strong dominion over him. 
Hence, law is obliged to appeal to force to ensure 
obedience ; its present terrors compel obedience to the 
laws of man : and its fears, though more remote, yet more 
awful, induce some degree of unwilling submission to the 
laws of God. 

}Ian seldom delight- in the law : he escapes from it 
whenever he can ; and, while he obeys the letter, often 
neglects the spirit. He not unfrequontly makes a cool 
calculation whether the penalty of the law will not be 
more than overbalanced by the pleasures of disobedience. 

But let love fill the soul, — love of God and love of His 
creatures, — how is everything altered ! Love, which con- 
siders all around as other selves, will be as considerate of 



? 



SATURDAY EVENING. 11 • 



the welfare of others as of itself ; and a man Trill no more, 
by infringing 1 a law, injure others, than he would willingly 

injure himself'. He not only fulfils the law, with thank- 
fulness that he has such a guide, but he goes beyond it ; 
he anticipates its commands. Love cannot work ill to his 
neighbour : the ends of law are already accomplished. 
And now, with respect to God, fear is no longer necessary 
to lead us to obey Him ; fear hath trembling, and we 
cannot tremble before one who loves us as God loves us, 
and who chastens us only in mercy. We seek to know 
His will more perfectly, that we may do it better ; and we 
love to do it because it will unite us more to Him. 

What gratitude is sufficient for us to feel to our 
Saviour, who hath brought us into the state of children, 
not servants ; who hath taught us feo be bound to each 
other, and to our Father, in love : who hath thus enabled 
us, even here, to have a foretaste of the perfect love and 
blessedness which eternal life will bring us? ''This is 
the message we have heard of him, that God is light ; ? ' 
•• This is the promise he hath promised us, eternal life." 

mav love otow brighter and brighter in us unto the 



perfect dav ; 



Thee will I love, my strength, my tower ; 

Thee will I love, my joy, my crown; 
Thee will I love with all my power, 

In all Thy works, and Thee alone : 
'Ihee will I love, till holy fire 
Fills my whole soul with strong desire. 

Ah I why did I BO late Thee knuw : 
Thee, lovelier than the e 



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118 



SECOND WEEK. 



--a 



All ! why did I riot sooner go 

To Thee the only ease in pain ? 
Ashamed I sigh; and only mourn 
That I so late to Thee did turn. 

In darkness -willingly I stray 'd ! 

I sought Thee, yet from Thee I rov'd: 
Far wide my wand'ring thoughts were spread; 

Thy creatures more than Thee I lov'd ; 
And now, if more at length I see, 
! Tis through Thy light and comes from Thee. 

I thank Thee, uncreated sun. 

That thy "bright heams on me have shin'd: 
I thank Thee who hast overthrown 

Iffy foes, and heal'd my wounded mind ; 
I thank Thee, whose enlivening voice 
Bids my freed heart in Thee rejoice. 

Uphold me in the doubtful race, 

Nor suffer me again to stray ; 
Strengthen my feet, with steady pace 

Still to press forward in Thy way: 
My soul and flesh, Lord of might ! 
Replenish with thy heavenly light. 

Give to mine eyes refreshing tears. 

Give to my heart chaste, hallow'd fires; 
Give to my soul, with filial fears, 

The love that all heav'n's host inspires; 
That all my powers, with all their might, 
In Thy sole glory may unite. 

Thee will I love, my joy. my crown. 
Thee will I love, my Lord, my God; 

Thee will I love beneath Thy frown 
Or smile, Thy sceptre or Thy rod : 

What though my flesh and heart decay, 

Thee shall I love in endless day. 



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SxVTUKDAY EVENING. 119 



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PEAYEE. 

Thou who art the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and our God and Father ! above all Thy innumer- 
able blessings do I present unto Thee my humble, grateful 
thanks for this, — that Thou hast made me capable of 
knowing and loving Thee. Father I I would centre in 
Thee my heart's purest, holiest love. There it will ever 
be safe, for in Thee there is no variableness nor the shadow 
of changing. I am Thy child, created with the breath of 
Thy spirit ; Thou hast loved me before the creation of the 
world, Thou wilt love me for ever, for I am Thine. 
Father ! reveal Thyself to me, in all Thy holiness and 
love, through Thy beloved Son, so that I may behold Thee 
ever, and rejoice in Thee ever, and desire nothing but 
Thee. May no dark clouds of passion, no longing for the 
things of this world, no striving after ought that savours 
of earth, hide Thee from my soul. Father! oft'times 
have I been wounded in spirit, oppressed with the cares 
of time, saddened with the sight of wickedness and suffer- 
ing, and well nigh cast down, because I did not feel Thy 
love within me. 0, when I am thus fainting, do Thou 
strengthen my spirit, and I shall be strong to suffer, — to 
endure all. And when, as a loving child, I have done all 
Thou wouldst have me to do here below, take me, take 
me, to those blessed mansions above, where, united in one 
holy bond to the loved ones who have gone before, I shall 
dwell for ever in Thy more immediate presence, never to 
be separated from it any more. Amen. 



Ik 



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Third Week. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 



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Ketr. xxi., 4.— J>nd &nd shall wipe auraij all tears 
frxxm their eyes ; and there shall be nxx mxrre 
deaths neither snrrnur nxxv crying, neither shall 
there he any mtrre pain ; ftxv the farmer things 
are passed attray* 



OD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
Tears are the visible and affecting expressions of 
distress ; and, therefore, to say there shall be no 
more tears, is to say, that all those causes of 
sorrow, which exist in the present world, shall 
be eternally removed. " There shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow nor crying*" because these are the 
causes which rend the hearts of men, and suffuse their 
eyes with tears. 

There shall be no more tears of separation. The 
longest and most painful separations are those which are 
caused by death ; and what eye has not been dimmed with 
tears by this ? He must have been unhappy indeed over 




whose unmoistened 



no tears are shed, and whose 



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SUNDAY MOENING. 121 



■a 



death, has occasioned no regrets. But the number of those 
is few. Death rends all hearts. When Joseph died, the 
children of Israel wept sore. " My Father ! my Father l" 
exclaimed Elisha, when Elijah was taken away from him. 
" my Son Absalom ! Absalom, my Son, my Son," said 
the much-moved David, as he "went up to the chamber 
over the gate," that he might weep alone. And when his 
friend Lazarus died, "Jesus wept." Well, be it so. To 
weep and to be wept is the irreversible decree as to man 
below ; but then, so much the more welcome the state we 
hope for. A great voice is heard out of heaven, "And 
there shall be no more death." The sight would be a blot 
in the tabernacle of God. The rigid limb, the silent pulse, 
the breathless lip, the pallid cheek, the fixed and darkened 
eye ; these, these are not scenes for heaven. But this is 
the decree: — "There shall be no more death." This 
shall restore and perpetuate your friendships, and wipe 
the tears of separation away for ever. 

And with the tears of separation pass away all those 
which pain wrings from the tortured body, or sorrow from 
the wounded spirit. Martyrs, you have been racked and 
torn ; but there is now no more pain for you ; for, like 
your Master, you have exchanged your crown of thorns for 
a crown of glory. Patient sufferers from disease, — you 
could weep, though you could not murmur; but wearisome 
nights are no longer appointed you. Nor does the spirit, 
full charged with its inward griefs, pour the floods into the 
eyes. No publican here smites on his breast, exclaiming, 
"God be merciful to me a sinner!" No Peter, the 
cowardly denier of his Lord, goes out to weep bitterly. 
No tears of shame and grief are shed over barrenness of 
spirit and hardness of heart. Zion no longer cries, "the 



tf] -— -ft] 

122 THIRD WEEK. 



Lord liatli forgotten me." " There shall be neither sorrow, 
nor erring, nor any more pain." 

And we may add, that there shall not be even tears of 
joy. For what do they suppose? The joy which finds 
relief in tears supposes a previous anguish : and that the 
change from one state to another shakes the feebleness of 
mortality. Or it supposes that we are so unused to strong 
emotions that our measure of joy is soon filled up : that 
even the bliss of earth may be too copious for the con- 
tracted vessel of our hearts : and, therefore, so easily over- 
flows in tears. But there shall be no such alternations 
in heaven ; nor will the capacity for blessedness be thus 
limited. Joy will not be so much a stranger that we shall 
weep at meeting it. It will be habit, not accident. It 
will be, not the transient flash which dazzles, overpowers, 
and disappears ; but the fixed and steady element in which 
we shall live for ever. 

And the text gives the reason of all this : — ,; The 
former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the 
throne said, Behold, I make all things new." How im- 
pressive and sublime is the scene thus presented ! Under 
the throne of him who is arrayed in the glory of the 
Father, lie heaven and earth, the present seat of death 
and sorrow and pain. He speaks, and they vanish, and 
the former things are passed away. He speaks again, and 
a new heaven and earth spring into being. " The taber- 
nacle of God is with men ;" and he that sitteth upon the 
throne saith, "Behold, I make all things new.' 1 What a 
dream will then our earthly sufferings and labours, our 
joys and our sorrows, appear ! They have passed away. 
and a new world opens to our view to abide for ever. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 123 



O for the winged seraph's puwer to soar 
Into those fields of everlasting light 
Where darkness is not! for pow'r t ■ftrmd 
To those blest regions to which Jesus rose 
From the dark tomb, the herald of our way; 
Himself the first fruits of the sleeping dead t 
O for the freedom of those sons of God. 
The bright, immortal spirits of the just, 
No longer held by bonds of earth and llesh, 
Of sense and passion; all whose trials o'er, 
Whose sorrows ended, and whose joys complete, 
Now stand before the throne of the Most High, 
Seeing as they are seen, and knowing Him. 
The eternal One. ey*n as they are known i 

se, my trembling, fainting soul, arise, 
And join this glorious band of worshippers. 
See where they stand, a host of witness* - 
To tell thee 'tis thy Father's house, thy home, 
In which they wait thy coming. Like thyself 
They once sustained their mighty confiict here. 
Like thee they toild and sutfer'd, hop'd and fear'd. 
They pass'd through darkness, deep as ever hung 
Over thy path; through ways as rough and hard 
As ever wore thy tir'd and pilgrim feet. 
Wilt thou, then, sink, or murmur at thy lot 
When tried, or charge thy Father foolishly? 
Lord, I believe: help Thou my unbelief! 
Lord. I believe: increase, increase my' faith ! 
O for a will entirely bow'd to Thine! 
O for a heart in even* thought so p\ 
In every spring of feeling so refin'd, 
That e'er this body may a temple be 
Meet for Thy holy spirit ! Father ! hear, 
O hear my prayer, and answer, and forgive! 



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124 THIRD WEEK. 



Thy kingdom come, O God, within my soul! 
Thy will he done in me as 'tis in heav'n ! 
Then, then will faith its highest triumphs prove 
When I am perfected in heavenly love. 
Then, with a seraph's wing, my soul shall rise, 
And join, e'en here, the worship of the skies. 
Then will my highest pleasures he my last, 
And heaven begin before the world be past. 



PEAYEE. 

Father ! On this blessed morning, hallowed by the 
remembrance, of him, Thy Holy Son, who brought life and 
immortality to light, — shine, I pray Thee, on my soul with 
the brightness of Thy glory, so that I may see in faith the 
time when all former things shall have passed away; 
when there shall not be any more pain, neither sorrow nor 
crying ; when there shall be no more death, and Thou — 
Thou, blessed Father — with Thy loving hand, wilt wipe 
for ever all tears from our eyes. Thou hast promised it, 
Father, and Thy promise is sure. Lord, I believe, 
increase my faith. Purify my soul by a daily, an hourly, 
devotion to Thy will. Let Thy kingdom come within me. 
Let me count all trials and sorrows as but joy, so that I 
may win Christ and be found of him. Let me kiss Thy 
rod, knowing that it is a sure token that I am Thy child — 
Thy beloved one. Let me ever behold around me the 

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SUNDAY MOKNING. 



125 



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cloud of witnesses whose trials are ended, whose joys 
complete, and who, even now in Thy presence, are near 
me in spirit, — Thy ministering angels whom Thou hast 
given charge concerning me. Then, Father, though, 
tears may dim my outward eyes, shall I clearly behold in 
faith Thy love and mercy, and go cheerfully on my way, 
sustained by Thy presence, until Thou shalt call me home. 
Amen. 









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tfr 



126 



THIRD WEEK. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 



J^sbrews trii, 16. — * * * * £#jlfess life. 




-^HAT is life ? Can it be anything but dwelling 
in Him who alone is of Himself life ? 

His life is faintly, yet most brightly and 
gloriously, shadowed forth to us in His works 
and His ways, by nature and by revelation. 
The attributes of the divine life that most strike 
us are unbounded wisdom to devise, power to execute, and 
love to make everything work together for the happiness of 
every existing thing. Only in partaking of these we can 
enjoy life. 

Even in this lower world we can enjoy true life to such 
a degree as to give us an earnest longing after that which 
is perfect and endless. We can feel the intellectual part of 
our being so exalted by the discoveries of the wondrous 
ways and works of God, and by being permitted to dive 
into His hidden plans in the construction of this wondrous 
fabric of the earth, that it seems, though still on earth, 
almost freed from the clog of mortality. Love may be so 
entrancing and receive such heavenly food, even here, 
from the affections and sympathies which the Father of 
love hath implanted in the human heart, that it may shed 



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SUNDAY E VEXING. 127 



ft 



a glow all around, and we may love God, and the creatures 
of His hand, with a purity that may seem even now to 
make us partakers of the divine life. The spirit may at 
times so completely soar above time and sense, and be so 
fully imbued with a feeling of the blended wisdom, power, 
and love of the Great Spirit, that it may, even here, 
occasionally enjoy life, and, like St. Paul, not know whether 
it is in the body or out of the body. But how soon do we 
descend from the mount where the bright cloud of God's 
holy presence overshadows us ! How much dominion have 
the perishable things of this world over us, — how much 
more fatal a dominion the plagues of our own hearts ! 
How continually have we to lament the imperfection of 
even our most holy things ! But we are promised endless 
life. We are told, in words that cannot fail, that " eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, what God hath prepared for 
them that love Him." If, then, the human eye hath seen, 
and the human ear hath heard, things so glorious that, in 
default of language to express them, we have said that 
moments in which they have been enjoyed have been 
worth a whole existence, what will be a life consisting 
entirely of glory and happiness infinitely greater and 
endless ! 

the unspeakable riches of the love of God, who hath 
bestowed such a gift on man ! What brightness should 
such hopes, such glimpses of eternal glory, shed over this, 
our present existence, which is a preparation for it ! What 
patient waiting, what unwearied, humble, earnest striving 
should be ours, that we may be found worthy to receive 
such an inheritance ! 



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128 



THIRD "WEEK. 



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Sorrow and darkness lied away, 
And I beheld eternal day ! 

No night was ever there; — 
None feebly drew the parting breath, 
Gain'd was the victory over death, 

And life was ever there. 

I felt as ne'er I had before, 

I knew that I should sin no more ;— 

And straight within ray soul 
There was a calm and holy peace, 
A joy so true it ne'er could cease, 

A gentle, sweet control. 



I knew that I was with my God, 
Yet fear'd I not His chast'ning rod, 

Fear dwelleth not with love ; — 
I felt His presence ever nigh, 
T'was bliss to live beneath His eye, 

I was in heav'n above ! 

I was so fill'd with holy awe, 

I nothing heard and nothing saw; — 

Yet every power and thought 
"Was bent on that excess of light, 
Absorb'd in fulness of delight, 

In Him whose face I sought. 



L & 



But then a mortal veil was thrown 
Upon me, and I was alone ! 

My course was still to run. 
I came from realms of endless day, 
To see the dim and troubled ray 

Of the earth's mid-day sun. 



-i 



SUNDAY EVENING. 129 



* 



But yet, metbonght, a fairer glow- 
Was shed on all things here helow, — 

Light from above was giv'n. 
My Father's love dispelled the gloom, 
And made the Valley of the Tomb 

Appear the Gate of Heaven. 



PBAYER 

Holy Father ! I thank Thee for the glimpse of Heaven 
which I have this day enjoyed in Thy courts. I thank 
Thee for the communion of saints which I have shared. 
I thank Thee that I have tasted of the blessedness of Thy 
presence. May this day in Thy courts be one to help me 
onwards in the journey of life. May the streams of living 
water which I have drunk refresh my spirit to encounter 
the burning sand, the rugged stones, the fierce enemies 
within and without, I may have to battle with on my 
pilgrimage ; and everywhere may the abiding pillar of Thy 
guiding presence be with me. Watch over me with Thy 
love, I pray Thee, this night ; and whether I awake in 
this world or another may I be still with Thee. I ask 
these, and all blessings, in the name of Thy Beloved Son 
our Saviour. Amen. 




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THEM) WEEK. 



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M N D AY M E X I X G. 




Ittatttrcir xir.. -Ml — irhat laih I net? 



F thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments/' 
How little the young man understood the nature 
and comprehensiveness of the law of God is clear. 
from his enquiry, "Which?" The Pharisaic Rabbis 
taught their followers that if they singled out some 
one commandment, and scrupulously and uniformly 
discharged it they should, thereby, compensate for many 
neglects and transgressions of the rest. The principle is 
a bad one ; but it is only an extravagant statement of one 
of the most common sophisms of the spiritual life, — one by 
which men are continually influenced and fatally mislead, 
— one which applies to self-esteem, and makes it throw 
around the veil of self-delusion, — which leads to rest on 
modes of faith, on the punctual, frequent, and fervent 
discharge of religious duties on the one hand ; or. on the 
other, on a rigid attention to the claims of justice, or on 
active efforts to promote attractive plans for human welfare, 
or on the exercise of compassion, while pride and en\y 
and uncharitableness rule in the heart, or while Christian 
sobriety and piety have no place there ; while, on the one 
hand, the claims of social or domestic duty, or of personal 
virtue, are lost sight of, or very imperfectly discharged : or. 



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MONDAY MORNING. 131 



on the other, the great principle of godliness is neglected, 
the regulation of the temper, and the internal spirit of the 
mind. 

In all ages there has been a baneful disposition which, 
in some or other of its manifestations, we all more or less 
experience, "to tythe mint and anise and cummin, and 
neglect the weightier matters of the law," — justice, mercy, 
and faithful obedience. In all ages it has been found 
easier to erect an idol for self-worship, than to humble the 
spirit ; to give alms, than to exercise charity ; to correct 
others, than to rule oneself ; to burn incense in the censer 
of gold, than to oifer up the affections of the soul ; to 
sacrifice the costly burnt offering, than to present ourselves 
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God ; to build 
temples without, than to erect one within, to the Holy 
Being who is a spirit. And, in our own day, it is found 
easier to rest on the righteousness of Christ, than to 
practice the holiness of heart and life which he enjoins ; 
to look for the kingdom of God without, than to seek it 
within ; to assist in conducting the living waters to the 
minds of others and to distant regions, than to receive it 
permanently into our own hearts ; to aid in promoting the 
freedom of the slave, than to free ourselves from the 
slavery of passion, of censoriousness, of selfishness, of per- 
vading worldly mindedness, which sends forth its various 
entangling fibres and roots of covetousness, self-indulgence, 
conceit and vanity, the love of pleasure and the pride of 
life. The work within must accompany the work without 
to render this acceptable to God ; yet, when the light of 
truth and duty is really burning in the heart, it is rarely, 
if ever, that it does not obviously contribute (effectually 
though not ostentatiously) to the well-being of others, 

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THIRD WEEK. 



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present or eternal, in promoting 1 , in different ways and 
measures, the kingdom of righteousness and love : and 
happy, indeed, are those who, while their talents or situ- 
ation in life give them the power to promote the welfare of 
multitudes, employ their power faithfully as a trust; and, 
at the same time, carry the principles which they desire to 
guide their means of usefulness into the regulation of their 
own hearts. 



O Thou, to whose all- searching sight 
The darkness shineth as the light ! 
Search, prove my heart ; it pants for Thee, 
hurst these bonds, and set it free ! 

If in this darksome wild I stray, 

Be Thou my Light, be Thou my Way ! 

No foes, no terrors shall I fear, 

Nor fraud, while Thou, my God, art near. 

When rising floods my soul o'erflow, 
When sinks my heart in waves of woe; 
Do Thou Thy timely aid impart, 
And raise my head, and cheer my heart. 

My (rod ! whene'er Thy steps I see. 
Dauntless, untired, I'd follow Thee ! 
let Thy hand support me still. 
And lead me to Thy holy hill. 

If rough and thorny be the way, 
My strength proportion to my day; 

Till toil and grief and pain shall cease, 
Where all is calm, and joy, and peace. 



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MONDAY MORNING. 133 



TD 



P B AY E R 

Thou Searcher of hearts ! Be pleased to impart a 
ray of Thy heavenly light to discover to me the evils and 
infirmities of my past life, that henceforth no secret sin 
may he undiscovered in my heart ; that, by examining my 
life and conversation by Thy law, as the rule and measure 
of my duty, I may discern the true state and condition of 
my soul ; and that, from a just sense of all my transgres- 
sions, I may be enabled, through the assistance of Thy 
grace, to forsake every evil way and disposition, and to 
turn my feet unto Thy testimonies. Make me careful in 
the examination of my own heart, and most severe against 
my own offences. Give me inward confidence to rely on 
Thy fatherly providence, that neither fear may deter me, 
nor any advantage turn me, from the path of truth. Let 
not the sjDecious goodness of the end encourage me to the 
unlawfulness of the means, but let Thy word be the war- 
rant to all my actions. Let me shun whatever is wrong, 
but never be induced to conceal falsely what wrong I have 
done. When censured, or my conduct misconstrued, en- 
able me to check the eager spirit of self- vindication. Give 
me collectedness and discretion to guide me in unexpected 
difficulties. Quicken my conscience to reprove my past 
failures. Let my heart be in covenant with my lips, and 
let both my heart and my tongue be under the guidance of 
the law of truth, of guileless simplicity, and of godly 
sicerity. And let me so walk before Thee in a course of 
holy living, that I may finally be made a partaker of Tliy 
mercy unto eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our ever 
blessed Saviour. Amen. 

og . g] 



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THIRD WEEK. 



fij 



MONDAY EVENING. 



J'ohrr XV., 5. — Fnr tinthcmt ros u# tm Htx xmthing. 




'HE case of the Apostles is our own case, with 
the exception only of the peculiarities of their 
situation and mission. Without Christ we can 
do nothing; nothing in the concerns and ways 
of our highest moral life; nothing in relation to 
those objects of faith and hope and duty which 
he came to render clear and sure to the spirits of men. 
Without him, the soul is left without its support and 
guide. Without him, the soul struggles, but accomplishes 
nothing ; meditates, inquires, searches, but is made certain 
of nothing ; pursues various ends, but arrives at nothing. 
Without "the true light" it gropes and wanders in the 
ancient darkness; without "the true bread," it hungers 
and faints; without "the true vine," it brings forth no 
fruit. 

When we turn to an examination of ourselves and our 
religious state, it is then that the conviction is most forcibly 
impressed upon us, that we can do nothing without our 
Saviour. We arrive at our most intimate, consoling, and 
elevating knowledge of God the Father, through his Son 
Jesus Christ. We acquire our simplest, clearest, kindest, 



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MONDAY EVENING. 135 



and most practical views of duty, from him and his life. 
We learn from him distinctly what is the acceptable 
worship and service which, man is required to render to 
his Maker. We know, through him and his resurrection, 
what we could not otherwise have known, whatever we 
might have hoped, that we are immortal, and that we shall 
live after death, and for ever. By him we are brought 
into connection with that bright community of angels and 
sainted spirits, whose voices we hear on earth by faith, 
cheering us in our journey, and inviting us to the enjoy- 
ment of their society and his own, everlastingly in heaven. 
Christ is my companion and guide in the path of my 
mortal life, through all difficulties and danger, always 
ready and efficient with his counsel, sympathy, and assist- 
ance. Am I in doubt concerning some question of duty, 
some rule of conscience? I have only to refer to his 
word, or his example, and my course is plain. Am I 
in peril from some lurking and besetting temptation, 
almost irresistible from the appeals which it makes to 
my weaker nature? One glance at his pure countenance, 
one touch of his invigorating hand, and I am mv better 
self again, and have strength to spurn the assaulter 
away. Have I neglected to seek my helper in season ? 
have I wandered from the right way? and do I at length 
see and deplore my fault, confused and ashamed ? I hear 
his voice, not repelling me by harsh accents, but gently 
accepting my repentance and inviting my return. Is my 
heart deeply pierced by disappointment or any grievous 
sorrow? or is my flesh troubled by racking pain? I look 
to the Man of Sorrows, to the suffering Lamb of God, 
to his bleeding temples, to his agonising cross ; and his 
wounds are the healing of mine. Do I stand bv the 



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THIRD WEEK. 



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bedside of a departing friend, feeling that I am wretched, 
and that, when the final breath is breathed, I shall be 
more wretched still, but striving to restrain my tears in 
the fear of disturbing the last moments of one I love? 
Christ is with me where I stand, assuring me that my 
friend will not die, but only sleep; and that I shall meet 
him again, and be parted from him no more. I bless 
the sacred accents, and my tears gather silently, and my 
bosom is calmed. And so when I come myself to the 
brink of the river, Christ will be with me then who has 
been with me always ; and the warmth of his dear and 
glorious presence will dispel the chilly vapours ; and he 
will lead me safely through. What, then, could I do 
without him? How can I live, how can I die without 
him ? 

Master! to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words 
of eternal life. Thou hast said we can do nothing with- 
out Thee. Son of God, it is true ! Saviour of men, it 
is true ! Thou art the vine, we are the branches. Our 
spiritual life is nourished and invigorated from thee; and 
if we bear fruit, it is because we abide in thee, and still 
receive the vital streams which flow from thee alone. 



How sweet the words, and how benignly spoken 
By him whose blessings age to age have hlest: 

14 All ye who labour, and are heavy laden, 
"Come unto me, and I will give you rest! 



t- 



' C'ome unto me, however great the burden, 
" Come unto me, I can its weight remove; 



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MONDAY EVENING. 137 



•And from these scenes of woe and war transport ye 
" To fields of blessedness, and peace, and love. 

■ Come unto me ; a sweet and heavenly welcome 
"Waits for the weary, waits for the opprest; 

" Come unto me, ye pilgrims of earth's valley, 
" Come unto me, and I will give you rest. 

' Come unto me, ye feeble and ye fainting, 
"Come unto me, dejected and distrest; 

•Weeping and wasted, troubled and tormented, 
" Come unto me, and I will give you rest." 



4 



PEA YE R. 

Again, before I go to rest, would I commit myself to 
Thy care, God, beseeching Thee to forgive me for all 
my sins, and to keep alive Thy grace in my heart ; to 
cleanse me from all indolence, pride, harshness, and self- 
ishness ; and to give me the spirit of meekness, humility, 
firmness, and love, Lord! keep Thyself present to 
me for ever, and perfect Thy strength in my weakness. 
Preserve me and mine this night, and strengthen us to 
bear whatever Thou shalt see fit to lay on us, whether 
pain, sickness, danger, or distress. So much sin in the 
world, and suffering ! and then the thought of our own 
private life, so full of comforts, is very startling when 
we contrast it with the lot of millions whose portion is 
so full of distress and trouble • May we be kept humble 



# 



a- 



13S 



THIRD WEEK. 



ft 



and zealous ; and mayest TIiou give us grace to labour 

in our generation for the good of our brethren and for 
Thy glory. Do Thou keep us by night and by day, and 

strengthen us to learn and to do Thy will. Do Thou 
keep our hearts tender when we feel better. Do Thou 
make us gentle and patient, yet active and zealous. How 
much good have we received at Thy hands! and shall we 
not receive evil ? Let us not fall from Thee in any trial. 
Lord, let us cherish a sober mind, to be ready to bear 
evenly and not sullenly. Lord, reveal Thyself to us 
through Christ, which knowledge will make all suffer- 
ing and trials easy. Lord, may we join with all Thy 
people in Heaven and on earth, in offering up our prayer 
to Thee through our Lord Jesus Christ ; and in saying, 
" Glory be to Thy most holy name for ever and ever.'- 
Amen. 







W 



a- 



TUESDAY MORNING. 



139 



■ft 



TUESDAY MORNING. 



Kmuans xii.. 12. — glmrtrmtmg instant in urauiT. 




ffrvf frj ITH a heart disposed to love, to fear, to trust. 
J$S!> ^ and to serve God, let me observe the objects in 
which he is more immediately blessing myself 
individually, and those connected with me, and 
consider the ordinary circumstances of every 
day: then let me reflect whether they ought not 
to excitein me those frequent secret upraisings of the heart 
to God which are a fulfilment of the command, " Pray 
without ceasing.' ' 

Have I a comfortable habitation ? When I enter it, 
when I think of it, let me acknowledge Him from whose 
goodness I received it. Have I and my family health 
and abundance? Let us rejoice in it as the gift of God. 
Do I retain the soundness of my faculties'? "What grati- 
tude do I owe for their preservation ! Am I blessed with 
the intercourse of friendship and love ? Let me thank 
Him who gave me friends and enables me to enjoy them. 
Have I children on whom I look with mingled delight 
and solicitude ? Let me acknowledge the goodness of 
God, and look up for His guidance and blessing, that I 



<& 



# 



\Br ~~~ — - — " — ~~ — HJ 

140 THIRD WEEK. 



may be enabled to rear them to His glory. Can I pur- 
sue my daily labour ? Let me thank the God of my 
strength. Am I feeble, or suffering under any disease ? 
Let me be strong in faith, and endure as seeing Him 
who is invisible. Have I escaped any danger ? I would 
bless my Preserver. Has any one whom I love been 
rescued from peril? Let me acknowledge the hand that 
saved him. Am I able to minister to the necessities of 
others ? Let me praise Him who has given me the means 
and the disposition. Do I see the deaf, the blind, the 
lame, and the diseased, and think, with joy, that I am 
in health and can see, and hear, and move where I will 
without pain? Let my joy be that of gratitude; and, 
with my sympathies for those that suffer, let my thanks- 
giving for myself ascend to Heaven. Do I enjoy rest 
after fatigue ; and do my hours pass in tranquil plea- 
sure ? Let me thank God for this season of rest and 
peace. Am I angry with another? Let my prayer arise, 
"Forgive me my trespasses, as I forgive others. " Am I 
oppressed with the affairs of a family or of business? 
Remembering that I must give an account to God, let 
me ask if they are ordered according to His will. Am 
I tempted to indulge any bad passion, or doubting con- 
cerning any dispositions or conduct ? Let me remember 
that the eye of God is upon me, and seek from Him grace 
and guidance. Am I sensible of having wasted my time 
or abused any talent; of having spoken rashly or acted 
unkindly? Let me ask God to guard me in future temp- 
tations. Do I feel a good disposition, and have I over- 
come a trial of my faith and patience ? Let mo pray to 
God to strengthen what is right, and thank Him who 
has hitherto made me victorious. 

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TUESDAY MOBNING. 141 



■a 



By thus habitually looking to God ; acknowledging 
Him in all circumstances and events ; committing myself 
to Him, and seeking His approbation in all my disposi- 
tions, indulgences and pursuits, shall I make every action 
an act of devotion, and thus be " Instant in prayer." 



To prayer, to prayer ; for the morning breaks, 
And earth in her Maker's smile awakes, 
His light is on all below and above, 
The light of gladness and life and love. 
O then, on the breath of this early air, 
Send up the incense of grateful prayer. 

To prayer; for the glorious sun is gone, 

And the gathering darkness of night conies on, 

Like a curtain from God's kind hand it flows 

To shade the couch where His children repose. 

Then kneel while the watching stars are bright, 

And give your last thoughts to the Guardian of night. 

To prayer ; for the day that God hath blest 
Comes tranquilly on with its welcome rest. 
It speaks of creation's early bloom: 
It speaks of the Prince who burst the tomb. 
Then summon the spirit's exalted powers. 
And devote to heaven the hallo w'd hours. 

There are smiles and tears in the mother's eyes, 

For her new-born infant beside her lies. 

O hour of bliss ! when the heart o'erflows 

With a rapture a mother only knows. 

Let it gush forth in words of fervent prayer. 

Let it swell up to heaven for her precious care. 

There are smiles and tears in that gathering band 
Where the heart is pledged with the trembling hand. 



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142 



THIED WEEK. 



-a 



What trying thoughts in her bosom swell. 
As the bride bids parent and home farewell! 
Kneel down by the side of the tearful fair, 
And strengthen the perilous hour with prayer. 

Kneel down by the dying sinner" s side. 
And pray for his soul through him that died. 
Large drops of anguish are thick on his brow; 
O what is earth and its pleasures now? 
And what shall assuage his dark despair 
But the penitent cry of humble prayer? 

Kneel down at the couch of departing faith 

And hear the last words the believer saith. 

He Las bidden adieu to his earthly friends; 

There is peace in his eye that upward bends ; 

There is peace in his calm, confiding air; 

For his last thoughts are God's, his last words prayer. 

The voice of prayer at the sable bier ! 

A voice to sustain, to soothe and to cheer. 

It commends the spirit to God who gave; 

It lifts the thoughts from the cold, dark grave; 

Jt points to the glory where he shall reign 

Who whispered " Thy brother shall rise again." 

The voice of prayer in the world of bliss ! 
But gladder, fairer, than rose from this. 
The ransomed shout to their glorious King. 
"Where no sorrow shades the soul as they sing ; 
But a sinless, joyous song they raise: 
And their voice of prayer is eternal praise. 

Awake! awake! gird up thy strength 

To join that holy band at length. 

To Him who unceasing love displays, 

Whom the powers of heaven unceasing praise; 

To Him let thy heart and thy powers be given; 

I 'or a life of prayer is a life of heaven ! 



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TUESDAY MORNING. 14 



^ 



PEAYER 

blessed Father ! How can I sufficiently thank 
Thee for this great privilege, — that Thou permittest, nay 
invitest. Thy frail children of the dust to approach Thee 
in prayer, to pour out their wants before Thee in perfect 
confidence. Father ! my wants are all known unto Thee ! 
I know not what is best for rue ; I almost fear to ask Thee 
for any earthly thing least I should be asking a curse 
instead of a blessing ; but this, — this only would I pray 
for, — that Thou wouldst grant me, according to the riches 
of Thy glory, to be strengthened with might by Thy Spirit 
in the inner man ; that Christ may dwell in my heart by 
faith ; that thus, being rooted and grounded in love, I may 
be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth 
and length, depth and height, and to know what is the 
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, so that I may be 
filled with Thy fulness. Thou, Father, art able to do 
exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think, by Thy 
power that worketh in us ; for Thine is eternal love and 
wisdom and power from eternity, throughout all ages, and 
world without end. grant this my prayer, Father! 
Amen. 






a- 



144 



THIRD WEEK. 



-a 



TUESDAY EVENING. 




tfszlm xmih f I.— I trill tens Ttos, © Lord ro# strxmgtln 

pHO are they that love the Lord? To love Him 
truly we must first believe that He loveth us. 
We feel His power; we trace everywhere His 
wisdom ; we must also be fully assured of His 
love to each creature of His hand. And this 
assurance of His love must not be one of the 
understanding merely. It must be engrafted into every 
faculty of our nature ; it must entwine itself with every 
affection of our heart ; it must be evident to us in every- 
thing that is around us. When we, then, have truly faith 
in the love of God, ought it not to produce a return of 
love? Can we do otherwise than surrender our souls to 
that love which is ever encircling us, even when we know 
it not ? Earthly affection is very precious. We feel that 
love is the only meet return we can make for love, here 
below ; yet how poor is the love that is offered us here, in 
comparison with that which our Heavenly Father freely 
bestows upon us ! What a return should we make to 
Him ! 

They that love the Lord, then, arc those who, having 
a full confidence in His wisdom and power, have also a 



% 



-ff 



t 



XX, 



TUESDAY EVENING. 145 



perfect assurance of His unbounded, unchanging love for 
us, which so blends itself with our very souls, that] we 
devote to Him, as a faint return, every thought, every 
wish, every affection ; that we withhold from Him no 
purpose, no aspiration, no desire ; that we lay our hopes 
and fears all before Him: that love to Him influences all 
our actions : in fine, that we offer to Him the purest 
devotion of love of which our souls are capable. 

Now such must have great peace. Being convinced 
of the power and wisdom of the Lord, "their strength," 
they know that everything is ordered by Him, and must 
be so ordered as to accomplish the ends which He has in 
view ; and, being convinced of His love, they are assured 
that what He has willed must be for the well-being of 
His creatures. Now, peace results from this harmony of 
wisdom, power and love, for there can enter into it no 
discordant element. In proportion, then, as our love to 
God is perfect, we shall fully enter into His designs, and 
feel a calm and happy sympathy with all that He doeth. — 
which is peace. 

What causes the want of peace among men in general, 
and, above all, in our own hearts ? It is because we sepa- 
rate ourselves from God, and then all is discordant. We 
set up our own wills as the standard of our desires ; and 
then they are crossed, and we are fretted, and seek to 
satisfy them everywhere but in the only true source. Our 
souls are out of harmony with creation, with the moral 
and spiritual world ; and thus everything jars against 
them. 

But let the love of God reign within us ; let it pervade 
all our motives and excite all our actions : let it be shed 
round all that befalls us, or rather let us open our eyes to 



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146 



THIRD WEEK. 



-a 



see it, for it is ever there, — we shall have tranquillity, and 
even happiness, under every dispensation of providence ; 
we shall not be wearying* ourselves out with impatient 
longings for that which it is not intended that we should 
have ; but we shall find enjoyment in the present duties 
and employments which are before us ; and, above all, our 
souls will be filled more and more with that peace of God 
which He has vouchsafed here below to those that love 
Him, and which is a glimpse and foretaste of that which 
will be perfect above. 



Thou hidden love of God, whose height, 
Whose depth, unfathom'd, no man knows! 

I see from far Thy beauteous light; 
Inly I sigh for Thy repose; 

Then shall my heart from care he free, 

"When it hath found repose in Thee. 

Father! Thy sovereign aid impart 

To save me from low-thoughted care ! 

Chase this self-will through all my heart, 
Through all its latent mazes there : 

Make me Thy duteous child, that I 

May raise to Thee a trustful cry. 

Each moment draw from earth away 
My heart that lowly waits Thy call ! 

Speak to my inmost soul and say, 
11 1 am thy life, thy God, thy all !" 

Thy love to reach, Thy voice to hear, 

Thy power to feel he all my prayer. 



fr 



-ff 



TUESDAY EVENING. 147 



PRAYER 

Give ine, Lord, Thy Holy Spirit ; that my under- 
standing and all my faculties may be resigned to the dis- 
cipline and doctrine of our Saviour. Let my faith be the 
parent of a good life ; a strong shield to repel the assaults 
of sin ; the source of a holy hope, of modest desires, of 
love and confidence in Thee, and a never failing charity to 
all men. Whatever spiritual evils are yet remaining in 
my heart, direct me to the knowledge of them, and the 
proper means of removing them. Whenever I wander 
from Thee, show me my error, though it should be by 
fatherly correction : let pain or sorrow, if needful, lead me 
home ; but never, oh never, leave me to myself. Carry 
me and mine still forward, Heavenly Father, by all the 
methods of Thy providence and grace, till we are prepared 
for that world, where we shall no longer bewail the dark- 
ness of our understandings and disorders or wanderings of 
our hearts, but where we shall love Thee entirely, rejoice 
in Thee triumphantly, and celebrate Thy praises to all 
eternity, in the presence of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 




ny , g: 



fl 

I 148 



th::.:> v,tek. 



WEDNESDAY MOEXIXG. 



P>alm :::::::.. ~.—Jl::::i::h I vmlk thrmmh thp '1~all:e:j 
of tto shadrrn; nf ^:mh. I —ill fr-ar :;:: t-il. 



rrK 



r 



-JI t^03IPELLED, as even the most spiritually minded 
are. to bend their attention to the functions and 
feelings of the bodily frame. — dependent, as vre 
all are, upon their healthy condition, not only for 
physical comfort, but tor the proper exercise of 
our mental powers. — it is not to be wondered at 
that the thoughts should sometimes wander to a period 
when this watchfulness will be no more needed, when the 
most anxious :are will no longer avail to prevent the vital 
flame from being extinguished. The stiffening of the 
limbs, once so fall of activity. — the closing in utter darh- 
ness ;: :h-: ey =, nee the inlet of so much light and 
-y. — the mut ness ■:: the lips, bo long vocal with 
thought and _ — ldness, th; gloom, the still- 

:. ssoftl I mb, — all By intrude theme 

on the imagination, and excite appi h usi Qfl th il thee 
fearful changes musl ] 1 mental and bodily 

Bufferings of an appalling nature. 

If, ho? w and then glan B, it 



™ 



— r 



cfi ^ ;Hl 

WEDNESDAY MORNING. 149 



is not one worthy of being dwelt upon by the Christian ; it 
is not a fit theme for the preacher or the poet to press upon 
the Christian's consideration. 

Death is no accident of our being, it is an appointment 
of our Heavenly Father. God has taken this event into 
His immediate charge, and we may certainly know that 
whatever may be the terrors of its appearance, it is 
appointed in wisdom and in love. It is appointed by 
the same Being who opens our eyes upon the glories <>i 
this marvellous world, and is the Author of all the happi- 
ness we have ever enjoyed. A wise dispensation, ordered 
by a Benevolent Creator, does not deserve to be figured as 
an " enemy of the human race." At whatever season, in 
whatever mode death reaches us, it cannot come without 
the cognizance of that knowledge which precludes the sup- 
position of error, or of that mercy on which every doubt 
and every sorrow may lean. The event of death is un- 
alterably the appointment of our Father in Heaven equally 
with His kindest and brightest dispensations. 

Ignorant as we are. through the merciful arrangement 
of Providence, of the time and manner of our dissolution, 
we shall be unwise to bj mlate upon that wherein we 
cannot arrive at any reasonable and satisfactory conclu- 
sion. Experience shows that death is usually attended 
with less suffering than has been dreaded. The most 
painful diseases are not the most fatal ones, and they who 
recover often suffer more than those who die. Death is 
often painless, often instantaneous. 

Xor let us shudder at the decav of our bodilv organs 
when the liberated spirit has no longer need of their aid. 
The seed perishes in the earth while the young plant is 
rising into new existence. 



4~ 



-= 



c& 



150 



THIRD WEEK. 



And why should the long sleep of death appal us '; 
Whether the change from death to life be immediate, or 
the unconscious repose be that of thousands of year.-. to 
him that "'falls asleep v there will be no sensible interval 
between death and resurrection, — the night of dissolution 
will be instantly succeeded by the dawn of eternity. 

And in that eternity to what a glorious scene will the 
faithful Christian awake ! Re-united with the clearest 
objects of his earthly regards in a state where sorrow and 
sin, and pain and death, will be known no more, — in fel- 
lowship with the wise and good of all who have existed in 
every period of the world, — in the society of that blessed 
Saviour who has sanctified the dark mansions of the tomb 
to all his followers, — and admitted to more intimate com- 
munion with his Heavenly Father, — how happy and how 
favoured will be his exaltation! how wise, how merciful, 
will he regard that appointment which conducted him 
through the portals of the tomb to such felicity ! 

"When the sun of my life sets behind the dark moun- 
tains, and that night has come to me which comes to all, I 
will not be depressed by its deepening shadows ; I will 
not dread its gathering terrors ; I will not shrink from its 
narrow bed." "Tea, though I walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art 
with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 






t- 



-_E3 






f 



we: : ' r ' : :•:: 151 



- 



I 7 firm in I ...:'.. — in rave: 

Con' en plate not with f 

Hie r mr, the silent grave. 

2hase I Ur I _• hi i I a s iUi s 

ta nobler prospects fix iJ 

Turn fi no the : : -_ and be rs 

T: '.t • rnly - T : es. :: U •'_'. — ; -. 

- . : - -" * '.--■.' " - pieree the s 

Hmsrb : - . il ith light divine. 

Hie lowed the pm if the wis 

In holy, happy bouc arse 

[here freed from 7 rth'a 1 ssrre load, — 

From iD thai jrieres, — from all that taints, 
I eh Id them in th b right : le, 

'.est '. ...:._'.:-..: a :: :Lr - 

in nearei mtercoursc il I — 

BeJ nemg in theii Sark - love — 

littk heed the -\ no 1 I 

Which led them to their bliss above. 

then . . ment nc 

a that perplexed them he 
Kc loads n ' real th rhi 
All that ':._■_■ 

Christian, oh last breath; 

7 thee a i red lot is g 

ig that 1 thj ii ith death, 

Una . in heaven. 



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152 



THIRD WEEK. 



ft 



P E A Y E E . 

Almighty Father! Fill my soul with, so deep a 
sense of the excellency of things spiritual, that, my affec- 
tions being weaned from the false allurements of sin, I 
may, with the prudence of a holy discipline and governed 
desires, with clear resolutions and a free spirit, have 
my conversation heavenward. May I use Thy creatures 
soberly and temperately, that my -spirit may not be ren- 
dered unapt for the performance of duty; or my body 
helpless ; or my affections sensual and unholy. May no 
impure thoughts pollute the soul which Thou hast sancti- 
fied; no unclean words deprave the tongue which Thou 
hast commanded to be the organ of Thy praise ; no un- 
holy or unchaste actions defile the body, which Thou hast 
appointed to be the temple of Thy Spirit. And when I 
have done and suffered Thy will here upon earth, with 
sincerity, though alas ! with many imperfections ; when 
I have finished my earthly course, and am drawing near 
to the gates of death ; may no unrepented sins rise up to 
my remembrance and set themselves in array against me, 
and may my unallowed defects and imperfections, while 
they render me humble, not deprive me of peace and hope. 
Whenever I die may I die in the Lord, and be finally 
received, with all dear unto me, into those mansions 
where the sun shall no more go down, nor the moon 
withdraw its light ; where the Lord shall be our ever- 
Listing light, and the days of mourning shall be ended. 
Grant this, I pray Thee, through Thine infinite mercy in 
Christ Jesus. Amen. 



te- 



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WEDNESDAY EVENING. 153 



LJ 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 




Tfsalm bcxriii.. 25. — XUmi did eat ample' i'txtxi. 

) 

'EULY was it angels' food which fed those children 
of promise in their long wanderings to the earthly 
Canaan! They were following the pillar of God's 
providence, and His hand showered down on them 
from heaven pure nourishment ; He brought them 
meat on the wings of the wind ; He drew for 
them, from the barren rock, a stream of living water. Nor 
then alone did the Father of all provide for His children 
" angels' food." He made the ravens His messengers to 
His faithful servant, to carry him bread ; He fed not only 
him, but that faithful woman who had shared with him 
her last morsel; He did not desert Elijah when, alone in 
the wilderness, his body was weak, his faith fainting, and 
he requested for himself that he might die, but sent His 
angel to him with food, in the strength of which he went 
forty days. How frequently was that chosen nation re- 
minded, — and we, through it, may be so too, — that our 
Heavenly " Father knoweth that we have need of these 
things ;" that we not only have from Him our daily bread, 
but that if we are in the path He has commanded, when 
that fails He will give us bread from heaven. 

And did he who came into this world to raise our hopes 
beyond it ; did he, the Holy One of God, forbid us to seek 

qg — — — ff 



tfr 



154 



THIRD WEEK. 



-a 



4- 



even the food which perisheth ? He himself felt pity for 
the multitude, when they were fainting with hunger in the 
desert; and on two separate occasions, having first given 
thanks to the Father, he break to them bread which earth 
had not produced. After he had himself put off mortality, 
when his " children" told him that they had no meat, the 
waves, at his command, bare them food, and, for the last 
time, he brake unto them. 

The age of miracles is past; man has eaten "angels' 
food," and has received nourishment for the body, in a 
direct and evident manner, from the hand of Grod ; we 
require no longer supernatural proofs to convince us, that 
"like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth 
them that fear Him;" we have the written record, the 
sure word of testimony abiding with us. It is He who 
still giveth us our daily bread ; the period of His parental 
care of us is not passed ; man still eateth " angels' food." 

But there is a holier, a more enduring bread, — that 
which is more truly "angels' food," — the bread from 
Heaven which shall never perish. And still it is from 
our Father that we have this blessed food. He sent His 
well-beloved Son into the world that, through him, we 
might receive the bread of life ; that from him we might 
draw of that pure well, which shall supply us, not only in 
our wanderings in this wilderness, but when we reach the 
Heavenly Canaan. 

may we, the children of His love and grace, draw 
with joy from the wells of salvation; may we eat with 
thankfulness the bread that the Saviour has broken to us - y 
may we receive, with grateful hearts, the " angels' food" 
that is given us here below, that we may share it with 
glorified spirits above, in the presence of our Father I 



■B" 



-tri 

WEDNESDAY EVENING. 155 



O hand of bounty, largely spread. 
By whom our every want is fed! 
Whate'er we touch, or taste, or see, 
We owe them all, Lord, to Thee; 
The corn, the oil, the purple wine, 
Are all Thy gifts, and only Thine ! 

The bread Messiah multiplied, 
The stream his word to nectar dyed, 
The stormy wind, the whelming flood, 
That silent at his mandate stood; — 
How well they knew Thy voice divine, 
Whose works they were, and only Thine! 

Though now no more on earth we trace 
Such footsteps of celestial grace, 
Obedient to Thy word and will, 
We seek Thy daily mercy still; 
Its blessed beams around ns shine, 
And Thine we are, and only Thine. 



PEAYEK. 

Thou, most tender Father, hast abundantly fulfilled 
all Thy promises to us. Thou hast been waiting to be 
gracious, and hast filled our scanty vessels with the sweet 
tokens of Thy presence. If we have not been satisfied, 
ours is the false want that, in Thy love, Thou has not seen 
fit to gratify. If we have not been holy, ours was the sin 
that chained us to ourselves, when Thou wouldest have 



-4 



cB" 



156 



THIED WEEK. 



■a 



had ns walk with Thee and be perfect in following Thy 
will. Father, I have not loved Thee as I ought, and thus 
I have found Thy law burdensome. Oh ! burst the fetters 
of self-love that have enchained my soul. May I embrace 
the new commandment of Thy Son with pure affection, 
and henceforth find the only delight of my life in Thy 
loving service. To Thy never-ceasing care I commit my- 
self this night. Watch over me, and all I love, and the 
whole family of man, in the helpless hours of sleep : and 
watch over us, when we need Thy help as much, in the 
wakeful hours of duty. And so guide us through the 
scenes of this lower state, that we may reach the heaven 
of purity and love in the eternal home ; through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. 




£& 



& 



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THURSDAY MORNING. 



157 



■a 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



farb itr M 39. — &nxl Ua arusa and rebukad tto triud. 
and said rnxtn tto sea, •'*' ^acs, ha still!" and 
tto tinnd x^aaad, and thara traa a #raat calm. 




'ESUS is no longer by our side, in bodily presence, 
to command the elements. The external world 
seems only incidentally to confess his presence. 
Yet amid the tempests of life let us still feel our 
Saviour near. Let us have faith. It is well for us 
not to doubt; still if we doubt, let us pray, and 
doubt shall be turned to conviction. Christ still works 
wonders. Let us pray the Father ; and whatever we ask 
according to His will, the spirit of our Lord will enable 
us to perform. " Peace, be still!" shall be the answer to 
our troubled spirits. When Jesus stilled the storm, terror 
and awe filled the minds of beholders ; but no alarm shall 
follow his workings now. Peace shall not always be 
without, but there shall be tranquillity within. Yet there 
shall be often peace without. When the love of God rules 
in our hearts, we shall be able to control the violence 
of others. The storms of passion may rage around us ; 
our ears may be harassed with sounds of tumult and of 
passion. If we had faith we could do something to quell 



C3_- 



-ff< 



a- 



158 THIRD WEEK. 



*t 



the tempest. Our soft answers should turn away wrath ; 
we, who ruled our spirits, should be stronger than the 
mighty; we should return good for evil, till the face of 
the world became changed. ! that we could know, even 
we, at least in this our day, the things that make for our 
peace. 

But we must have strength from within if we are to 
operate successfully on that which is without. The peace 
of God, which passeth all understanding, must keep our 
hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. "We are not to 
be troubled, nor to be afraid, but to believe on the Father 
and the Son. 

Ah ! how much do we need this faith, even when we 
think we need it least. If we trust to our own strength, 
we find that it is weak as the frail vessel which offers but 
a plank to keep off destruction. We sail hopefully on the 
smooth waters ; we forget that they are deep as well as 
smooth. We think that our principles are firm, and that 
they will float us safely over the sea of life. We do not 
mark when they are giving way ; that temptation, like 
the deceitful waters, is stealing through them ; that our 
bark is gradually filling ; that even, whilst all is serene 
above and beneath us, we may be sinking in the flood of 
pleasure, and be dead, while we seem to live. Or we may 
trust to the cloudless sky, and know not that the strong- 
winds of passion, which are now allayed, may rise up 
again, and, opposing the current of duty, raise a tempest 
around us ; that the moon may withdraw its shining, and 
the stars refuse their lustre ; that clouds may blacken the 
atmosphere of our souls, and the light of conscience be 
overcast. Little do we know ourselves when all is calm 
around us ! Well is it for us if Christ is always our com- 



4 



dB — -Eb 

THURSDAY MORNING. 159 



panion, that we may in the time of peril find him our aid ; 
that he may say to the stormy waves " Peace, be still !" 

There is a storm which all must pass through; the 
black clouds of sickness will gather round us, or the blasts 
of violence will dash our vessel on the rock. Let us not 
fear. We may sink, but we shall be borne in safety 
through the waves ; we shall be unconscious, but we shall 
first hear the soft, but commanding words, " Peace, be 
still!" We shall wake and find ourselves at our desired 
haven. Our feet shall rest on the shore where " everlast- 
ing spring abides, and never- withering flowers." We 
shall look back on the wreck of our earthly hopes without 
a sigh. "We shall be where storms can agitate no more ; 
where there is no briny sea, but pure fountains of the 
waters of life; where there shall be no winds, but the 
blessed breath of heaven ; no clouds, but the clouds of 
glory that convey to the enraptured sight the fulness of 
divine love. Yet still the loved voice which hushed the 
tempest will be heard to whisper, " Peace, peace ! not as 
the world giveth, give I unto you !" 



Feab was within the tossing bark, 
When stormy winds grew loud, 

And waves came rolling high and dark, 
And the tall mast was bowed. 

And men stood breathless in their dread, 

And battled in their skill; 
But One was there, who rose and said 

To the wild sea— "Be still r 



tQ- 




a- 



160 



THIRD WEEK. 



ft 



And the wind ceased, — it ceased! — that word 
Passed through the gloomy sky ; 

The troubled billows knew their Lord, 
And fell beneath his eye. 

And slumber settled on the deep, 

And silence on the blast ; 
They sank, as flowers that fold to sleep 

When sultry day is past. 

! thou, that in its wildest hour 

Didst rule the tempest's mood, 
Send thy meek spirit forth in power, 

Soft on our souls to brood! 

Thou that didst bow the billow's pride 

Thy mandate to fulfil ! 
O speak to passion's raging tide, 

Speak, and say "Peace, be still!" 



PEAYEE. 



! Thou eternal God. Thou art without variableness 
and shadow of turning. Thou makest the earthquake, 
and the storm, and the raging sea ; yet Thou restest and 
workest in peace which passeth understanding. And canst 
Thou give me Thy peace, God ? All things are possible 
to Thee. Wilt Thou give me of Thy peace ? In the sleep 
from which Thou hast raised me, there was peace ; in the 
death to which Thou wilt bring me, there is peace ; but 
now, this day, in the work of life, in its troubles, in its 



■&- 



-EP 



tfr 



THURSDAY MOKNING. 161 




m 



passions, hast Thou peace for me ? ! Father, there is 
no peace for the wicked; there is no peace for me in 
myself; conscience offers me no rest, my desires give me 
no repose, my duties urge me onward, and passions are 
strong against me, and my dearest friends cannot always 
tranquillize me, and those whom I love best may move 
the very depths within me. Give me of Thy peace. Take 
me not out of the storm, if it pleases Thee to let the fierce 
winds assail me; land me not on the safe shore, if Thou 
wouldest still keep me on the troubled waters ; but tran- 
quillize my restless spirit, calm my troubled soul, and give 
me to feel myself Thy child, my Father. I am safe in 
Thee, my God. Thou wilt never leave me nor forsake 
me. Thou wilt protect me where Thou dost lead me, and 
canst keep in perfect peace those whose souls are stayed 
on Thee, because they trust in Thee. And now may I 
love Thee more, and do the things that please Thee, that 
Thy Son may love me, and that he and Thou may be 
manifest unto me, in the storm and in the sunshine, in 
the voyage of life and the haven of eternity. Amen. 



ffl i —ff 



tfl- 



1G2 



THIRD WEEK. 



—a 



THURSDAY EVENING. 




Xtxhn xi., 28 . — Tte Master is xrams, and saUstfr 
far tbss* 



LESSED words these for the sorrowing, loving 
Mary! No wonder that she " arose quickly, and 
came unto him." They who were mourning with 
her, and had seen the absorbing anguish of her 
soul, thought that she was going to the grave to 
weep there. They saw her outward grief; they 
knew not her inward joy ; she was obeying the summons 
to him " who had the words of eternal life." 

Yet the same tender, half-reproachful complaint escaped 
her, as she threw herself at the feet of her beloved Lord, 
that had been uttered by Martha: — "If thou hadst been 
here, my brother had not died!" She knew his love for 
the departed, and she was, doubtless, fully assured, as her 
sister was, that whatsoever he should ask of God, God 
would give it him. But the feelings of nature for a 
short time prevailed over her faith, and the compassionate 
Saviour did not chide them. 

"When we have lost, by death, a beloved friend, do we 
linger weeping round the grave which holds only the 
perishing mortal covering, or do we listen to the voice 
which is calling us also, and go unto him who is the resur- 



& 



w 



a— -a 

THURSDAY EVENING. 163 



rection and the life ? Though, tears will flow, do we, even 
while they are gushing in sad abundance, throw ourselves 
at our Saviour's feet and listen to his words, and thence 
gather strength to go with him "even to the spot where 
the dead is laid?" If we do, we shall no longer find it a 
place of deep mourning and mysterious dread ; immortal 
flowers of ever-growing beauty will be springing from it, 
and rays of eternal hope will be shedding a glorious halo 
around it. We shall not, indeed, as Mary did, see the 
stone removed, and the beloved one reappear in that 
mortal form which would again subject him to the triads 
and sufferings which for him have been terminated ; but 
the eye of faith will behold him rising, clad in the heavenly 
raiment of the sons of God, and his spirit will seem to 
come and make its abode with us, and comfort us in our 
sojourning here. 

Yes, beloved Master ! may we ever listen to thy voice 
when it calls us! And may we ever hear it calling us, 
with thy accents of tender entreaty to the prodigal, to 
"arise and go to his Father;" of encouragement to the 
penitent, laden and oppressed with the heavy burden of 
his sins; of sympathy and comfort to the mourner, and 
of blessed promise to his faithful followers: — "In my 
Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so I 
would have told you ; I go to prepare a place for you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come 
again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there 
ye may be also." 



i~ 



-£r 



fi- 



164 



THIRD AVEEK. 



-a 



Sinner ! the Master is come ! 

Wilt thou not list to his voice ? 
Gently he calleth thee home, 
O let his way be thy choice ! — 
Then haste, Sinner, haste, for the Saviour is here! 
He loves thee, he calls thee, thou needest not fear! 

Penitent, come ! for thy sighs, 

Thy tears shall be all wip'd away; — 
" Thy sins are forgiven," — then rise, 
Thy darkness is turned to day; 
Thy Father hath sent thee His well-belov'd Son, 
To call thee to bliss when thy race is well run. 

Mourner! the Master is here; 

Haste thee with him to the grave: — 
Tho' warm flows the fast-gushing tear, 
Thou knowest his power to save. 
Thou knowest through him that the joy shall be given, 
Of being with thy lov'd one for ever in Heaven. 

Christian ! thy Master is come, 

He knows all thy faith and thy love; 
He calls thee on high to thy home, 
His Father's blest mansions above: 
The world is o'ercome, and thy trials are o'er, 
From the house of thy God thou art parted no more. 



IB- 



S' 



r£h • Q j 

THURSDAY EVENING. 16o 



PEAT K R. 



Father ! Thou hast called me unto Thee by the 
heavenly voice of Thy beloved Son. I thank Thee, I bless 
Thee, for that call ; I would arise quickly and come unto 
Thee. Xot to the grave, ! Father, would I go, even 
though Thou hast laid there my best beloved. I would 
go to the Saviour, and hear his words of everlasting life, 
and with him lift my spirit to Thee, in Whom alone is 
life. Xor, ! Father, need I any longer fear to approach 
Thee, though weighed down with a deep consciousness of 
mv sins ; for Thou know est mv thoughts even afar off, 
Thou beholdest the first yearnings of the wandering spirit 
towards Thee ; Thou callest me home even while I hardly 
dare to raise my eyes unto Thee, whence alone cometh 
my help. Father ! Thou knowest all my weakness, all 
my wants, all my sins, all my sorrows. ! strengthen 
and deliver me, so that I may be in the end more than 
conqueror, through him that died for us to bring us to 
Thee. In him may I be found, living, dying, and for 
ever, Father ! Amen. 




<B-. -~ff 



i£h -Eb 

166 THIRD WEEK. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 




Jfbttippiims 1., 12. — Itrt I wtxulxl tjs should understand, 
hmthvmx, that the things which happened unttx t»b 
haue fallen nut ratter xxntxx ths furthBrancB of the 
rtnspxvl. 



'HITS spoke the Apostle who was ready either to 
be full or to suffer need ; to depart and be with 
Christ, or to remain in the flesh amid toils and 
dangers, stripes, imprisonment, and trials of every 
kind ; to be all, and to do all, so that he might 
win Christ, and be found in him, — so that he 
might strengthen the joy and faith of his brethren in the 
Lord. Hero he was in bonds, in the seat of learning and 
idolatry, far from his churches, after having been detained 
in prison for two years, in apparent inaction, by an ava- 
ricious, wicked, and ignorant governor, and then exposed 
to the dangers of shipwreck. Even now there were not 
wanting those who strove to add affliction to his bonds, by 
preaching Christ in contention and strife ; but that Christ 
was preached did he rejoice, and he was supported under 
all by the firm conviction that all things, even those which 
appeared most opposed to his spiritual usefulness, turned 
out rather for the furtherance of the gospel. 

eg $ 



jSt — Eb 

FRIDAY MOENIXG. 167 



These things are written for our edification, nor must 
we neglect to mark the hand of God guiding all aright in 
our humble spheres, as well as in that more important one 
of the Apostle, which, as a city set on a hill, could not be 
hidden. It may be that our souls are kindled with a spark 
of that flame which warmed the heart of St. Paul with 
gratitude to God, even the Father, and our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; and which incited him to sacrifice all to the 
glorious and holy duty of calling his fellow-mortals to be 
heirs with him of the same promises. We may desire to 
devote our lives, as he did, to the good of our fellow 
creatures, to help to raise them from sin and misery to 
repentance and blessedness ; but our hands appear to be 
holden, and our time engrossed by other occupations appa- 
rently less important, at any rate less congenial to the 
ardent longings of our souls. Let us be assured that this 
is for the furtherance of the gospel ; if there were need of 
us we should be called, and a way opened to us. It may 
be that we see for ourselves or our friends an apparent 
blessing at hand, which we think would greatly contribute 
to our own happiness and usefulness, or that of others : 
yet the object of our desire is taken from us just as it 
seemed placed in our reach : — this also is for the further- 
ance of the gospel, — perhaps its furtherance in our own 
hearts. Or, it may be, as St. Paul, we are persecuted on 
every side, — we are cast down and see none to help us : — 
let our faith, like his, be strong; — we shall find that we 
are not forsaken, and that our tears will be a holy nutri- 
ment to the gospel seed. 

But how was it that in St. Paul's case his calamities 
did turn out to the furtherance of the gospel? Because 
he knew that all was appointed for him by One who could 



* 



•4 



a- 



168 THIRD WEEK. 



not err, and, therefore, received as a talent whatever befel 
him. Was he separated, in bodily presence, from his 
churches? His letters to them made him present in spirit, 
not only with them, but with others in all times and places, 
who receive with gratitude these epistles written with his 
own hand, and thus hold blessed communion with him 
here, in the hope of meeting him in the presence of the 
Lord. Was his heart grieved by the backsliding of those 
who were his spiritual children, and towards whom he 
yearned with an affection greater even than that of an 
earthly parent? His tender rebukes, his solemn warnings, 
his earnest exhortations, warmed with unbounded love, 
love of immortal souls, — these were called forth by his 
very sorrow; and to us, in these remote ages, are most 
profitable to awaken, to exhort, to comfort. Was he for- 
cibly carried away from that Jerusalem which presented 
such a field of usefulness among the learned and powerful 
of the Jews ? His course was guided by an Almighty 
hand to the seat of learning and power in the Heathen 
world, where his vigorous and highly- cultivated mind was 
peculiarly calculated to act on the wise of the earth. Was 
he even then in bonds ? Those very bonds were made 
known in the palace, and converted many. 

Thus with him, who had devoted his heart and soul to the 
service of his Lord, did all things turn out to the further- 
ance of the gospel. 

Shall we not follow in his footsteps ? 



rg_- — — — gii 



tfb : rHEjj 

FRIDAY MOIiNING. 169 



Give to the winds thy fears; 

Hope and he undismay'd ; 
God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears, 

God shall lift up thy head. 

Through waves, through clouds and storms, 

He gently clears thy way : 
Wait thou His time ; so shall the night 

Soon end in joyous day. 

He everywhere hath way, 

And all things serve His might; 

His every act pure hlessing is ; 
His paths unsullied light. 
When He makes hare His arm, 
What shall His work withstand? 

When He His people's cause defends, 
Who, who shall stay His hand? 

Leave to His sovereign sway, 

To choose and to command; 
With wonder fill'd, thou then shalt own 

How wise, how strong His hand. 

Thou comprehend'st Him not : 

Yet earth and heaven tell, 
God sits as sovereign on the throne ; 

He ruleth all things well. 

Thou see'st our weakness, Lord ! 

Our hearts are known to Thee ; 
lift Thou up the sinking hand, 

Confirm the feeble knee ! 

Let me, in life and death. 

Boldly Thy truth declare ; 
And publish, with my latest breath, 

Thy love, and guardian care. 



i&~ 



J 



tfl ■ — ' Eli 

170 THIRD WEEK. . 



PEAYEE. 

Direct -me, Heavenly Father, to the right and faithful 
improvement of all the aids Thou hast afforded for purify- 
ing and perfecting my nature. Teach me to understand 
clearly, to believe firmly, to value justly, and to comply 
with sincerely, that last and bright revelation Thou hast 
given through Thy beloved Son. Mortify in me all proud 
thoughts and vain opinions of myself. Let me go before 
my brethren in nothing but in striving to do them honour 
and to give Thee glory. Never let me seek my own praise, 
nor unduly delight in it when offered ; but may I learn of 
my Saviour to be meek and lowly in heart, and thus find 
rest unto my soul. Prepare and fit me for every condi- 
tion and for every change ; but especially for the last and 
greatest change. Strengthen my faith in the time of sick- 
ness and trial. Suffer me not, through pain of body or 
weakness of mind, to let go my trust and confidence in 
Thee. May I so pass through the remaining days of life 
that, when I come to the day of death, I may have nothing 
to do but to die ; and may I be enabled to commit myself 
to Thee, with a peaceful hope in Thy mercy unto eternal 
life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 




<B— -ff 



cB ft 

FEIDAY EVENING. 171 



FRIDAY EVENING. 




Lute x., 21, — Jestta VDJixxv^ri in spirit and said, "J 
thank Ttee, Fatter/ ' 

>Y Father, I would thank Thee for all Thy 
mercies to me. 

"When the hand of sorrow is upon us, then 

we are led to Thee as the only comforter ; when 

dangers encompass us round, we fly to Thee as 

the only rock of refuge ; when sickness and 

death are near, we say, " Father, if it be possible, remove 

this bitter cup from me." But, ! my Father, let me not 

be drawn to seek communion with Thee by affliction only ; 

let me not offer to Thee only the perplexity and sadness 

of my soul ; let its joys be shared with Thee ; and when I 

rejoice in spirit let my first utterance be, " Father, I thank 

Thee." 

Thou art the giver of every good and perfect gift ; all 
my springs of comfort and happiness have their source in 
Thee alone ; and to Thee shall the homage of my praise 
arise daily for all my many temporal mercies. But it is 
when my spirit is free from care and sorrow ; when its joy 
is shed around on all ; when it gives brightness to gloom, 
and love to sorrow; when it can in faith spread the beauty 

cjg_ . . (J 



a- 



172 



THIRD WEEK. 



of Thy presence over the seeming deformity of the world ; 
when all things then minister to its happiness, as they do 
at other times to its mourning ; it is then, ! my Father, 
that I need not to come to Thee, for I feel that Thou art 
already with me ; that Thou only can'st know my happi- 
ness, since it proceeds directly from Thee : then, while my 
lips utter, " Father, I thank Thee," would I offer to Thee 
the holy sacrifice of a loving and happy soul. 

They are blessed moments when my spirit can thus 
rejoice in my God ! They give me a foretaste of that time 
when all shall be joy unspeakable, and when praise will 
be the atmosphere of the soul. Shall they pass and leave 
no trace behind ? Sorrow leaves deep marks of its pre- 
sence, and long tinges, with a sombre hue, the world 
around. But when I have rejoiced in spirit, shall the 
holy period vanish for ever? may every hour of blessed 
communion with God make me more united with Him ! 
May it shed its holy influence over all I think and say and 
do ! May it diffuse a pure light on all things, and make 
me " rejoice evermore." 

" Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me 
bless His holy name !" 



-a 



■& 



# 



FRIDAY EVENING. 173 



My God ! Thy boundless love I praise ; 
How bright on high its glories blaze, 

How sweetly bloom below ! 
It streams from Thy eternal throne, 
Through heaven its joys for ever run, 

And o'er the earth they flow. 

It robes in cheerful green the ground, 
And pours its flow'ry beauties round, 

Whose sweets perfume the gale ; 
Its bounties richly spread the plain, 
The blushing fruit, the golden grain, 

And smile on every vale. 

But in Thy gospel see it shine 
With grace and glory more divine, 

Proclaiming sins forgiven ; 
There Faith, bright cherub, points the way 
To realms of everlasting day, 

And opens all her heav'n. 

Then let the love that makes me blest, 
With cheerful praise inspire my breast, 

And ardent gratitude; 
And all my thoughts and passions tend 
To Thee, my Father and my Friend, 

My soul's eternal good. 

Dart from Thine own celestial flame 
One vivid beam, to warm my frame 

With kindred energy; 
Mark Thine own image on my mind, 
And teach me to be good and kind, 

And love and bless like Thee. 



ifi — _4j 



cfl Eh 

174 THIRD WEEK. 



P E A Y E 11. 

thoi: Father of mercies and God of all consolation ! 
I would present unto Thee my humble tribute of praise 
for Thy glorious declarations to mankind in the Gospel of 
Thy Son Jesus. Blessed, for ever blessed, be Thy name, 
Thou God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that by 
his resurrection from the dead. Thou hast begotten us 
again to a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible, 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away : that we are enabled 
to look beyond this world of sin, of sorrow, and of death, 
to a world where all shall be eternally and unchangeably 
happy, who have here obeyed Thy holy will. Heavenly 
Father, what thanks do I owe Thee for Thy rich and 
unmerited blessings. May my soul be tilled with a lively 
sense of them, and may I manifest the sincerity of my 
gratitude by a heart sincerely devoted to Thy service. In 
humble submission to Thy will I implore for myself, and 
those dear to me, health and strength to discharge the 
duties which Thou hast assigned for us : but above all, I 
pray that I may rightly improve all Thy dispensations, 
learn to regard even afflictions as merciful, and from the 
chastisements of Thy hand, become better prepared for 
that state to which we are all hastening. While we are 
continued in life, may we be preserved from all real evil ; 
and ma}' it be our sincere and earnest desire to work the 
work which Thou hast given us to do, so that when the 
night of death cometh, we may be prepared to die, and 
may be owned and approved by Thee when we stand 
before the judgment seat of Christ. Every blessing for 
time and for eternity I supplicate as his disciple, and 
ascribe unto Thee, his Father and our Father, his God 
and our God, never-ending praises. Amen. 

c£j_ gp 



a- 



SATURDAY MORNING. 175 



SATURDAY MORNING. 




JfaaUft sxxxtrii, 4- — JjJmxr shall we sing the Lord's 
axrog m a strange land? 

}OW, indeed, snould they do so — desolate, captive, 
weeping by the rivers of Babylon — -in the midst 
of those who made a mock of God — their hearts 
torn with the remembrance of their own unfaith- 
fulness ? The songs of Zion told them of the 
pleasant times when they sat and sang them, 
every man under his own fig-tree, and related to their 
children the wonderful works of God ; or when they were 
reechoed rom the rocks of Judea, and their melody 
softened bv the streams of Jordan, hallowed by so many 
memories of the past ; or when they went up, in goodly 
company, to the house of God, to sound His praises, in 
full chorus, through its gorgeous porticos. Then how 
every object around them helped to attune their souls to 
harmony with the holy psalms of their prophet king ! 
JVotc how mournful the change ! The Lord's songs were 
not meant for a strange land ; discordant notes would spoil 
their sacred music, and the thoughts of the past would 
choke their utterance. Only the humble accents of a 
penitent and broken heart were meet for them. " Turn 
again our captivity, Lord!" 

Are the songs of Zion always sweet to our ears ? Are 

*&-.- — Ef 



a- 



176 THIRD WEEK. 



we always ready to sing praises to the Lord ? Are we at 
all times glad when it is said unto us, " Let us go up to 
the house of our God?" If we feel that we cannot sing 
the Lord's song, it is because we are in a strange land, 
and have no longer the peace and freedom of the sons of 
God. There are jarring notes, if not without, within our 
souls, and we fear to mingle holy music with them. Those 
songs call back to us the innocent days of our childhood, 
when we first heard them, with mingled delight and awe, 
from our parents' lips ; we remember that the water of life 
was then flowing in pure streams in our souls ; it is now 
as a river in a strange land, and no longer reflects the 
glorious heavens of our Canaan. They remind us of all 
the holy aspirations, all the good resolutions they excited 
in our hearts when our glad voices united with those of 
our fellow worshippers to sing them in the house of our 
God; but how have these now been forgotten! The songs 
of Zion would bring us into the presence of our God ; we 
fly from it because our hearts are not right with Him ; our 
souls are in captivity ; Ave are in a strange land. 

The haughty conqueror who carried us there is Sin. 
Shall we stay under his bondage ? Our own beloved 
Sovereign, the Lord whom we had forgotten, is awaiting 
our return to our own pleasant land. He listens to our 
morning and evening prayer with our faces directed towards 
Zion, "Turn again our captivity, Lord!" 

Shall we not hasten to return to Him ? He will even 
come to meet us on the way ; He will help us to rebuild 
our ruined temple ; and then shall we be glad when they 
say unto us, " Let us go up to the house of the Lord." 
Then shall we sing His songs with rejoicing, and make 
melody with our hearts unto God. 



B- 



cfi Eb 

SATURDAY MORNING. 177 



Mourn not for those who slumber in the land 
"Where rest their fathers; grieve not that the hand 
Of Him who led them on hath clos'd their days, 
While walking still in Zion's pleasant ways. 



Bemoan not those, preeminently blest, 

Whose toils are ended, who have gain'd their rest; 

No haughty conqueror shall bid them roam, 

No foreign lord shall tear them from their home. 

But weep for those whose hearts within them burn 
To see that land to which is no return: 
Who sigh in vain for Jordan's pleasant rills, 
Judea's fertile plains, or Salem's hills. 

Shed bitter tears for them, for they are driv'n 
E'en from their trust in God, their hope in heav'n: 
Estrang'd in heart and clime, they dare not sing 
Th' enraptured praises of their prophet king. 

Yet, ye guilty stock of Judah's race, 
Still will ye turn and seek your Father's face, 
Submissive 'neath the rod, still Zionward pray, 
Ye shall be heard, your sins be wash'd away. 

And though your sun sink on a foreign strand, 
Still breathe your latest wishes towards the land 
Where, all their captive sighs and bondage o'er, 
Your sons shall serve their God, and stray no more. 



^ B ff 



33r * Cfa 

178 THIRD WEEK. 



PEAYEE. 

With the return of the morning Thou, ! Father, 
renewest unto us Thy loving kindness. With the return 
of the morning it is our wisdoni and duty to devote our- 
selves anew to Thee, and our happiness and privilege to 
repose our hope and trust in Thee. Various are the 
duties which lie before us ; many are the snares which 
beset us ; severe may be the trials to which we may be 
called. Our wisdom is but ignorance, our strength is but 
weakness. But unto Thee are known our dangers and 
difficulties ; be Thou my present and daily help. May 
uprightness and integrity preserve me, and my worldly 
business be pursued under a sense of Thy authority and 
presence. In the most unbended moments may I never 
fall into sin and folly. May I always be able to maintain 
composure and seriousness of mind, and purity of heart. 
Endue me with fortitude to resist every temptation. "Warm 
my breast, in the enjoyment of every blessing, with devout 
gratitude ; and assist me to bear affliction with patience 
and submission. Suffer not my heart to indulge any 
sinful passion, or to entertain any evil thoughts. Help 
me to look forward to the end of life, and to prepare for 
it. Assist me to sow the seeds of divine knowledge, of 
icligious wisdom, of increasing holiness, now; that, having 
sown to the spirit, of the spirit I may reap life everlasting: 
through Jesus Christ, our redeemer. Amen. 

^/,-^;co 



■b- 



# 



jB 



SATURDAY EVENING. 1 , 9 



SATURDAY E VEXING. 




Ktrr j lations xir.. o. — £ltA tbxnj sttttg as it ire it- a 
nmr smtg before the throne. 



UWEEFUL emotions of joy seek for outward 
expression. This is one of the laws of our very 
nature. The expression will be suitable to the 
emotion. Grief pours forth its waitings : joy is 
heard in the modulations of verse and the sweet 
swells and cadences of music. One reason for 
this is, that thus our joy may be social. The shout of one 
warrior animates another. The song of one labourer 
cheers another, as well as himself, in their mutual toil. 
The song of victory in one part of the field stimulates 
the combatants where the battle is yet doubtful ; and 
the common chorus heightens the common triumph. In 
heaven all is social, all is action and re- action. There is 
song in heaven because there is joy there : joy too strong 
to be confined to the heart. It must not only be felt, but 
sung : not only sung, but sung in united chorus, rising till 
the voice is " as the voice of many waters, as the voice of 
at thunder." 



A 



\S a 

180 THIRD WEEK. 



They " sang a new song." Every deliverance ex- 
perienced by the saints of God calls for a new song. 
How much more, therefore, this, the final deliverance 
from earth ! Their salvation is completed, and they now 
sing, "To him that loved us, and hath washed us from 
our sins in his blood, and made us Kings and Priests unto 
God; to him be glory and dominion for ever." Their 
song is new, as demanded by new blessings. Nor shall 
the song be new as to individuals only, but as to the 
whole glorified church. The church, even upon earth, 
has ever sung the mercies and the judgments of God. At 
the passage of the Red Sea, the construction of the taber- 
nacle, the opening of the temple, the people sang praises 
to God. As they went to their great festivals, they were 
found "coming to Zion with joy." So now. Every 
Sabbath hears the church singing her psalms, and hymns, 
and spiritual songs. And all heaven shall sing when the 
millstone is cast into the waters, and antichrist is destroyed. 
And this song is new, because its great subject, Christ 
crucified, never waxes old. Even here "the people of 
God are satisfied with his goodness ;" how much more 
when heavenly poetry modulates the verse, and heavenly 
voices attune the lay ! 



<B- — ff 



SATURDAY EVENING. 181 



Sing, Christian, sing! for you alone 

Possess the immortal power f song ; 
The God who formed you for his own 

Inspires your heart, inspires your tongue : 
What though your pilgrim journey lies 

O'er desert mountains, rude and wild ? 
The song of love which charms the skies, 

Has many a pilgrim's toil heguil'd. 

Then, Christian, sing ! for soon the shade, 

The dreary shade which wraps the dead, 
Shall on your hosom, lowly laid, 

Shall on your silent lips he spread: 
While pity moves the heaving hreast, 

"While yet the tender tear can flow, 
Oh ! sing the love that offers rest 

To man, the child of guilt and woe. 

Sing ! for these humble strains must cease, 

Lost in unutterahle hliss, 
When, freed from sorrow, face to face, 

You see the Saviour as he is : 
When life, immortal life is won. 

The song of hope no more can rise ; 
She breathes her last, her sweetest tone. 

Before the dawn of paradise. 

The voice of Faith and Hope must die; 

And not to mortal cars are given 
The lofty hymns of victory, 

Unknown hut to the sous of heaven : 
Yet have our pilgrim-lays the theme 

Which crowns their song of joy above; 
In heaven and earth the Saviour's name 

Unites the eternal song of love. 



t 



9 



eg -ft 

182 THIRD WEEK. 



PBAYEE. 

Thou, ! Father, rulest in heaven, and there we shall 
behold Thy glory. But here we are pilgrims ; here we 
see through a glass, darkly : here we are too often in a 
land of captivity, where sin tyrannizes over us. And how 
shall we sing the songs of Zion in a strange country? 
Blessed be Thy name, that though thou peculiarly lovest 
those, Thy sons, who are ever with Thee, and surround 
the throne of Thy glory with a perpetual hymn of holiest 
adoration, Thou t dost not overlook us, Thy servants, who 
are still struggling with the weaknesses and trials of mor- 
tality ; who, while we long for holiness, are still enchained 
by the powers of evil passions and temporal desires ; and 
who are often tempted to disbelieve Thy promises, from 
their very vastness and overwhelming love, though we 
pray and strive to follow him who is the great leader and 
finisher of faith. ! Father, visit me, even me, with Thy 
presence and Thy peace. Cast me not off for my misdeeds, 
nor reward me according to my great unworthiness. But 
look in pity upon my frailties ; let Thine arm support me 
in my difficulties, and let Thy Holy Spirit guide me into 
all purity, and truth, and love, and peace, and trust, and 
joy, for ever. Hear me, I entreat Thee, for the sake of 
Thine own infinite mercy, which Thou hast revealed unto 
us through Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen. 




4 



a- 



"^ 




Fourth V/eek. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 



Ephesians 8., 10. — i'inhm~-vitizvn.< with tto saints, antl 
nf the htmsBlmld of fl-ml. 



J^ ^X how many tongues, by what various voices, with 
what measureless intensity of love, is the name 
„"i\Q of Christ breathed forth to-day ! "What cries of 
Kjy° penitence, what accents of trust, what plaints of 
earnest desire, pass away to God ! "What an awful 
array of faces that gaze forth into immortality 
with various looks of terror or of love ! The vows and 
prayers whose millions crowd the gates of mercy no re- 
cording angel could tell, but only the infinite memory of 
God. Of how glorious a church, then, are we members 
when we kneel within the house of God ! In how solemn 
an act do we take our part ! With how sublime a brother- 
hood do we own our fellowship ! 

But our worship together brings us into yet nobler 
connections. It unites us by a chain of closest sympathy 
with past generations. In our helps to faith and devotion 



tQ- 



JZl 



eB — — -Eh 

184 FOURTH WEEK. 



in that holy place, we avail ourselves of the thought and 
piety of many extinct ages. We reverently read those 
ancient Scriptures, which have gathered around them the 
trust, and procured the heart-felt repose, of so many tribes 
and periods since prophets and apostles first gave them 
forth. We sing the hymns which a goodly company of 
pious men have left as the record of their communion with 
Heaven. And it is impossible to look at the consecrated 
names of those " sweet singers" of Christendom without 
feeling ennobled by their communion, and even astonished 
at our sympathy with them. Do not we, the living, take 
up, in adoration and prayer, the thoughts of the dead, 
and feel them divinely true ? Do they not come forth as 
if fresh coined from our own hearts ? Indeed, could we 
ourselves so faithfully utter the consciousness of our inner 
being, or shape so interpreting a voice for our secret life ? 
What an impressive testimony this to the sameness of our 
nature through every age, and the immortal perseverance 
of its holier affections ! The language of their confessions, 
their struggles, their desires, speaks our own ; the light 
that gladdened them shines now upon our hearts ; and the 
mists the} r could not penetrate brood now upon our path. 
There is the choice minstrel of Israel, true alike to the 
spirit of mourning or of joy ; there are the venerable 
fathers of the ancient church, whose vespers, chanted 
centuries ago, will suit this night as well ; there is the 
adamantine, yet genial, Ltjthee, telling, with the severity 
of an eye witness, the awfulness of judgment; there is 
the noble Melton, breathing his sweet and rugged music 
out of darkness ; there is the afflicted Cowper, sending 
out the tenderest strains from his benighted spirit ; with 
an attendant multitude of the faithful, — the confessor, the 

eg Ef 



cR a 

SUNDAY MORNING. 185 



exile, the missionary, — a chorus of sublime voices, with 
which it is a sacred privilege to be in harmony. And 
these are not merely the accents of the past, but the 
anthem of the sainted dead — the strains of immortals that 
look back upon their toils, and behold us singing their 
songs of sadness here, while they have already learned the 
melodies of everlasting joy. Blessed communion of earth 
with Heaven! — making us truly one family, below, above; 
and rendering us fellow- citizens with the saints, and of the 
very household of God ! 

And soon we, too, shall drop the note of earthly aspi- 
ration, and join that upper anthem of diviner love. The 
hour cometh when we shall cease the mournful cry with 
which earth must ever pray to Heaven, and grief ask pity 
to its tears, and the tempted call for helj) in the crisis 
of danger, and the labouring will implore a freshened 
strength. Exiles as yet from the spirit of unanxious joy, 
we catch but the echoes of that heavenly peace, and yield 
response but faint and low. Yet even now the free heart 
of the happy and triumphant shall be ours, in proportion as 
we are true to the condition of faithful service, which alone 
can make us one with them. The communion of saints 
brings to us their conflict first, their blessings afterwards ; 
those who will not with much patience strive with the evil, 
can have no dear fellowship with the good ; we must weep 
their tears, ere we can win their peace. This sorrowful 
condition once accejDted, the sympathies of Heaven are not 
slow to rise within the soul ; it is the tension of sacred toil, 
that on the touch of every breath of life brings music from 
the chords of love. And then the tone that here sinks in 
the silence of death, shall there swell into an immortal's 
fuller praise. AVe shall leave it to others to take up the 



e0 — — — ' Q i 

186 FOURTH WEEK. 



supplicating strain ; shall join the emancipated brother- 
hood of the departed ; and, in our turn, look down on the 
outstretched hands of our children, waiting our welcome 
and embrace. ! may the Great Father, in his own fit 
time, unite in one the parted family of heaven and earth ! 



Hallelujah! best and sweetest 
Of the hymns of praise above ! 

Hallelujah! thou repeatest, 

Angel-host, these notes of love : 

This ye utter, 
While your golden harps ye move. 

Hallelujah ! church victorious 
Join the concert of the sky; 

Hallelujah! bright and glorious, 
Lift, ye saints, this strain on high ! 

We, poor exiles, 
Join not yet your melody. 

Hallelujah ! strains of gladness 
Comfort not the faint and worn : 

Hallelujah ! sounds of sadness 
Best become the heart forlorn: 

Our offences 
We with bitter tears must mourn. 

But our earnest supplication, 
Holy God! we raise to Thee; 

Visit us with Thy salvation, 
Make us all Thy peace to see ! 

Hallelujah ! 
Ours at length this strain shall be. 



s- 



t 



SUNDAY MORNING. 187 



ft 



PEATEE. 

Father of holiness and truth ! Thou didst close our 
eyes on the toil and sorrow of the week past ; Thou hast 
refreshed our bodies and our spirits with peaceful rest ; 
and now Thou awakenest us to the day of earthly rest and 
heavenly toil, to the day of peace from worldly cares and 
of strife with our own hearts, to the day when Thou 
invitest us to listen to Thine own voice speaking solemnly 
in the gospel of Thy Son. Speak to my heart, ! Father, 
and to all, in the silent teachings of Thy Spirit ; and rouse 
our souls to earnest purpose, and to contrite submission. 
Draw the veil of faith and hope over the glaring pressure 
of immediate interests ; make us feel the realities of the 
heavenly state ; and be filled with longing after the trea- 
sures at Thy right hand. Make us to accept willingly the 
strife of duty ; and lowly to bend with humbled spirits 
before Thy fatherly corrections. Suffer us not to lose the 
warmth of our dear love to the departed ; but may our 
longing for the blessed reunion quicken us in the times of 
fierce temptation, and in the dangerous periods of the 
soul's tired sleep. ! Father, help us in our watch, lest 
we carelessly sink into perdition. Let the words of Christ 
this day renew our life ; and let the waters from the eternal 
fountain cheer our hearts. Now break to us the bread of 
heaven ; and, in the strength thereof, let us endure the 
conflicts of the coming week. And when weeks and years 
are over, may we, and all our dearly beloved ones, be 
united in the eternal Sabbath of Thy love, through the 
Redeemer, Jesus. Amen. So be it, for Thine own Name's 
sake. 



«H~ 



-4 



cB -ft 

188 FOURTH WEEK. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 




John xih, 7« — Then said l£Stt$, " Lrt her altme: against 
the day: nf my bttrjjrog hath she kept this." 



what an affecting incident does this allude, and 
k what depths does it reveal of our Saviour's inmost 
soul ! 

Six days before that Passover when his soul 
was to be troubled even to death ; when he knew 
that the city which he loved and would have 
saved, should turn against him, and that the end would 
be — his last conflict in and over death — Jesus retired, for 
a short space, to that peaceful village, beneath the hal- 
lowed mount, where those dwelt whom he loved. He was 
received at the house of Simon, the leper. We know 
nothing of him but this, that he was, doubtless, one who 
owed to Christ the power of enjoying the blessings of life. 
He testified his respect by preparing a supper for him, 
and by inviting to it one who was bound to his Master by 
the double tie of love and gratitude. " Lazarus was one 
thai sat at table ;" the usages of society did not permit 
the sisters also to be there; but Martha, unchecked even 
by the former gentle reproof of her Lord, obtained the 
privilege of serving him. The two first Evangelists do 

"6— EP 



ca a 

SUNDAY EVENING. 189 



not mention these touching circumstances ; but merely the 
fact, that Jesus was received at the house of Simon. 
John, who dwelt with affectionate interest on what most 
interested the personal feelings of his beloved Master, par- 
ticularly says that Lazarus was there at table, " Who had 
been dead." The gentle-hearted shrinking Mary did not 
join her sister in her mark of respect, but prepared one 
characteristic of herself. She had, on a former occasion, 
sat at his feet and heard his words ; now, her heart 
overflowing with gratitude to him who had restored her 
brother to her, she brings a pure and very costly offering 
of balsam of spikenard to anoint them. Matthew and 
Mark only mention the general fact of a " woman" having 
done so ; and say, that she anointed his head, but add 
the striking circumstance of her breaking the alabaster 
box which contained the offering, doubtless that it might 
never be put to a less holy use. John knew that it was 
the grateful Mary; and observed, that she did not pour 
the balsam only on his head; but humbly " anointed his 
feet, wiping them with the hair of her head." Those 
around knew not the mind that was in her, and did not 
sympathize with her ; they even expressed displeasure 
against her. How must her heart have overflowed with 
emotion, when she heard the blessed words from her Lord, 
" She hath done a good deed for me, she hath done what 
she could;" yet her joy must have been mingled with 
deep sorrow by the touching addition, " For the day of 
my burial hath she done this." 

Thus ends the record of this beautiful incident, except 



k~ 



# 



f 



190 FOURTH WEEK. 



that the two first Evangelists add a prophetic remark of 
our Lord, which they have thus fulfilled, " Verily I say 
unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in 
the whole world, this also which she hath done, shall be 
spoken for a memorial of her." 

To us, how much does this simple narrative reveal of 
our Saviour's thoughts and feelings and trials ! He had 
come to Jerusalem to fulfil his mission by his death ; his 
few last remaining days were spent in public, teaching in 
the Temple ; but every evening found him at the beloved 
village of Bethany, which was now hallowed by having 
been the scene of the most remarkable display of that 
mighty power which had been given him by the Father. 
Here he was received by one who had probably owed to 
him all that could make life valuable : the friend whom 
he loved was here ; and the two grateful sisters, each 
showing her affectionate respect in her own peculiar way. 
We can perceive that Jesus deeply felt the marks of friend- 
ship he received; for though he said but little, that little 
was full of tenderness. But nothing could banish from his 
mind his approaching trial. The thought of it did not 
shed a gloom around him ; but all around mingled with 
it. "For the day of my burial hath she done this." He 
knew that it was near, but contemplated it with holy calm- 
ness ; for to him the tomb was but the gate of Heaven. 
And his own approaching trials did not make him less 
than ever tenderly considerate of others. He knew that 
Mary's feelings would prompt her to pay him, even at the 
tomb, the last tribute of love ; but that she might be 



TO^ ~*~Er 



x j=) r — EJ] 

SUNDAY EVENING. 191 



spared that agonizing duty by tlie reflection, that by 
abstaining from it she was fulfilling his wishes, he desired 
her to regard this as her tinal offering. 

Truly did he "bear our sorrows;'' truly did he bear 
them as the beloved Son of a Heavenly Father ! How 
can we sufficiently love and reverence him, who, with trials 
and temptations like our own, but far greater than we are 
called upon to bear, was so pure and holy, so full of love 
and piety ? 



See the grateful sister bending 

O'er her much-loved Saviour's form; 
While her thanks to heaven ascending 

From her heart burst pure and warm. 
For his mercy, prompt to save, 

Doth she bless her heavenly Lord; 
For a brother from the grave, 

To the light of life restor'd. 

Who shall blame the kind oblation, 

Perfumes rich, profusely shed! 
No, through each remotest nation 

Shall her grateful fame be spread ! 
Fair the diamond's star-like blaze, 

Through the dark mine richly strew'd ; 
Fairer far the gentle rays 

Of the Christian's gratitude. 



:! B- 



J. 



a- 



192 



FOURTH WEEK. 



-*-Eb 



PRAYER 

I praise Thee, ! our God and Father, for the gospel 
of pardon and of peace, which Thou hast sent us through 
Thy Son. I thank Thee for that love which he manifested 
in submitting to death for us ; for his holy precepts and 
example; and for the hope of eternal life to all who 
believe and obey him. ! that my soul may be sincerely 
humbled under a sense of my many transgressions and 
neglects of duty; under the recollection of resolutions 
unfulfilled, of warnings unheeded, of talents unimproved .! 
I pray not only for mercy to pardon my sins, but for 
strength to enable me to subdue them, and for grace to 
help in the day of temptation. Sanctify my understand- 
ing, that I may rightly conceive Thy holy truths and fully 
apprehend them. Sanctify my will, that it may bend 
itself to Thy blessed will in all things. Sanctify my affec- 
tions, that I may set my heart upon Thee, and desire 
nothing in comparison with Thee. Sanctify my passions, 
that they may be purified from all defilement of the flesh 
and of the spirit. Establish in me a holy disposition, that 
I may be kept in Thy favour and love by a persevering 
continuance in well doing. And may I, and all I love, so 
pass through things temporal, that finally we lose not 
the things eternal ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord and 
Saviour. Amen. 



fc- 



a- 



MONDAY MORNING. 



193 



■a 



MONDAY MORNING. 



Ifsalm ir.. 6. — Lord, lift Tbtttt op the light of Thy 
tHxtmt&ttsaaxx upon vs. 




t 



MY Father, how very glorious is the radiance 
which Thou sheddest on this beautiful world that 
Thou hast made ! How fitly does light, Thy own 
brilliant creation, which Thy word diffused over 
the material world, typify that spiritual light in 
which Thou dwellest ! 
Before the sun has arisen, a dull indistinct mist involves 
all the fairest objects on the earth, and gloom hangs over 
the heavens. But when he rises, all nature rejoices, 
animate and inanimate ; the fogs of earth soon disappear ; 
what was dark now glows with inexpressible brightness, 
and glimpses of heaven seem opening to our dazzled sight. 
! Sun of righteousness, so lift up upon us Thy light, 
that our mists may vanish, that the darkness of our minds 
may be illumined, that the glories of the invisible world 
may be revealed to the eye of faith. 

The mid-day sun is often clouded over ; we wander 
among the most beautiful works of God, yet they call from 
us but faint expressions of admiration; a charm has passed 
away from them ; but the glorious orb again shines forth 



# 



104 EOUI1TH WEEK. 



with his full splendour, and what a change conies over 
all ! How do our hearts leap within us, and our souls 
experience an indescribable gladness, as we see his light 
revealing to us beauties before unnoticed ; as the dull 
monotonous grey changes into innumerable exquisitely 
harmonized colours ; as light and shade vary the scene ; 
and forms before unnoticed rise before us in all their fair 
proportions. Why do we deem the moral world a dreary 



hearts sink within us, and our spirits long to flee away ? 
The light of God's countenance is hidden from us, and we 
behold all things with the dullness of our own narrow 
vision. Let faith shed over all the brightness of the 
Eternal One, and let us view all things as illumined by 
infinite wisdom and love, what cause for admiration and 
gratitude shall we see all around us, and what a foretaste 
shall we have of the perfect beauty and joy, which will be 
diffused over the whole creation of God, when that which 
is perfect is come. 

The sun of this lower world must set ; his daily depar- 
ture reminds us of the last, when time shall be no more. 
Yet how beautiful is his light ere it is withdrawn ; how 
does all nature gladly, yet mournfully, receive his parting 
smile ; how does he impart a softened warmth, a mellowed 
beauty, to all things earthly which are soon to be sunk in 
night, and shed his full glories on things heavenly, open- 
ing worlds of transcendent brightness to the enraptured 
eye. So dost Thou, Great Source of uncreated light, 
reveal Thy glories, which never set, to the departing 
spirit. So dost Thou soften to it the brightness of all 
earthly things, that it may fix its gaze on the splendours 
of the eternal world ; the weak and sinking, on whom 



•a- 



a 



MONDAY MORNING. 195 



Thou sheddest the light of Thv countenance, becomes 
strong in faith and hope, and is blessed, while still on 
earth, with a foretaste of heaven. 

Irradiate my dark soul, ! my God, with the know- 
ledge of Thy word, that I may do Thy will ; shine with 
the light of Thy love upon the path of my pilgrimage ; 
and finally receive me to Thy glory ! 



The morning dawn'd. but no bright glorious sun 
Kindled my waking soul to hope and joy. 
Dark clouds obscur'd the pare ethereal vault. 
And deadening mist the earth. I sigh'd, 
The gloom sank on my soul. Again I look'd ; 
A roseate hue touch'd the o'erhanging clouds 
They glow'd with light approaching. Now behold, 
Midst floods of glory, still more glorious, 
The sun ariseth ! The weak eye in vain 
Attempts to gaze, in awe and wonder lost : 
Y^t on some isles, floating in radiance on, 
Outskirts of heaven, it turns its longing look, 
And thoughts unearthly fill the ravish'd soul. 
My spirit! hast thou never faithless sigh*d. 
When clouds o'erhung thy morn ? Has ne'er a doubt 
Darken'-! thy faith? Behold, thy Father's love 
Shines brightly over all, illumines all 
With rays of faith and hope; — then in thy soul 
deceive its beams of light ineffable ! 



CP pj 



I 196 



)UKTH WEEK. 



^ 



I' II AT E R 



t 



Boundless ar: Thou, I Thou whom no eye can see. 
and no tongue can name, boundless in power and glory ! 
All things are full of Thee. At Thy bidding the shades 
of night hasten away. And now that Thou hast again 
covered the earth with light as with a garment, and we 
rejoice in the splendours of morning. I would exalt my 
thoughts to the contemplation of Thy majesty and seek 
inspiration in Thy praise. Dispose my mind aright, and 
let Thy gracious spirit, like a ministering angel, descend 
and set in order my affections and build an altar in my 
bosom, and prepare an offering and kindle a sacrifice, so 
that my prayer may rise in memorial before Thee, and 
bring down new blessings, new and precious gifts, new 
strength for Thy blessed and everlasting service. Pour 
down Thy light into my inmost soul and fill it with Thy 
breath. Let no stubborn pride, no inordinate self-love, no 
besetting sin. have power to resist or obstruct the influence 
of Thy grace : but do Thou enlighten my understanding, 
renew my heart, subdue my headstrong will, and may the 
whole of this day show that these few moment- of devotion 
have been blest by Thee, that I have received the visit of 
Thy love, and strength from on high. Father, may I 
not be of the number of those who draw nigh unto Thee 
with their lips, while their I re in captivity to their 



-a* 



r5 -& 

MONDAY MORNING. 19/ 



own sinful devices. Having now sought Thy blessing, 
may I seek it without ceasing this day by every word and 
work ; and when the sun again sinks into the west, may 
light and peace remain to rejoice my soul, and to prepare 
me for still richer blessings, for still greater progress, and 
a more entire consecration of my being to truth and to 
Thee. I confide in the unsearchable riches of Thy love, 
disclosed by all Thy works, but most gloriously of all by 
Thy Son Jesus Christ, for whom I bless Thee for ever and 
ever. Amen. 




•B- 



-d- 



a- 



198 FOURTH WEEK. 



MONDAY EVENING. 



Utorb xi., 11. — JE-twi Jestts entered mto Jerusalem, artd 
hrtti tto temple : and ttfbea lie bad lnnked rmmd 
abmtt ttptm all thtegs, and mxttr the etretrfi&e teas 
exxme, he irent nut imtxx lethamj irith the tareltre. 



H ^TTAT a moment was that, full of thoughts too 
VgV^l great for utterance ! What a glance did Jesus 
give on the scene of his future sufferings ! 



The morning had seen him apparently in all 
)f&? the exultation of approaching triumph; the 
lowly Jesus, the carpenter's son, had entered 
the proud capital of his nation as a conqueror ; he had, 
indeed, conquered all hearts which were not already en- 
chained "by sin and prejudice. The disciples began to 
praise God with a loud voice ; they that went before, and 
they that followed, cried, " Hosanna !" and all the city 
of Jerusalem was moved when the multitude exclaimed, 
"This is Jesus, the prophet of Galilee!" The Temple, 
too, was the scene of similar joy and excitement, though 
the Chief Priests and Scribes vainly attempted to check it. 
The blind and lame were brought to him in the holy place 
to be healed, and the glad voices of the children resounded 
through its magnificent porticos, " Hosanna to the Son of 
David !" 



"& 



MONDAY EVENING. 199 



Yet Jesus had heard in this general rejoicing only the 
sad echoes of approaching lamentation. When he drew 
nigh to the city, now glorious and beautiful on its hills, 
with the Temple shining gorgeously before him, and its 
people preparing for their solemn festivity, he knew that 
ere long all would be levelled with the ground, and he 
wept over it. 

But now evening was come: the hour of prayer had 
given a holy stillness to the scene, and from the Temple 
he looked round about upon all things. Within a few 
short days all would be changed. The voices of those 
that loved him would be silent ; only the cries of, '-'Away 
with hira," would be heard; and into this very Temple 
would he be led in mock solemnity before the council of 
his enemies. Then the dark, dreadful scenes which would 
succeed must have risen up before him, perhaps for a time 
obscuring the glory that would follow. — But it is almost 
presumptuous even to attempt to realize what were then 
the Saviour's emotions. 

When he had seen all, the eventide being now come, 
he withdrew with the twelve to his peaceful home at 
Bethany, where were those who loved him, and whom he 
loved. There we may follow him in the sacred recesses 
of our hearts ; but what words could, without the aid of 
inspiration, venture to express what were the holy medita- 
tions of the Son of God ? 



Eg _g] 



a 



200 FOURTH WEEK. 



■ti 



Go to dark Getlisemane, 

Ye that feel the tempters pow'r: 
Your Redeemer's conflict see; 

Watch with him one bitter hour: 
Turn not from his griefs away; 
Learn of Jesus Christ to pray. 

Follow to the Judgment Hall; 

View the Lord of life arraign'd ; 
the wormwood and the gall ! 

O the pangs his soul sustain'd ! 
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss: 
Learn of him to bear the cross. 

Calvary's mournful mountain climb ; 

There, submissive at his feet, 
Mark that miracle of time. 

Love's own sacrifice complete: 
'• It is finished," hear him cry; 
Learn of Jesus Christ to die. 

Early hasten to the tomb. 

Where they laid his breathless clay ! 
All is solitude and gloom ; 

Who hath taken him away ? 
Christ is ris'n; he seeks the skies: 
Thither learn of him to rise. 



■fa EP 



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MONDAY EVENING. 201 



P B A Y E E . 

Thou, ! Father, drawest yet more nigh unto us, 
when we feel the emptiness of this world. In the time 
when all things go smoothly with us, and our occupations 
flow in the accustomed channel, then we are too apt to 
forget Thee, who art the Author of our peace. But in the 
time of fierce conflict and of difficulty, then our weakness 
and our ignorance drive us unto Thee ; and Thou, most 
compassionate One, dost not upbraid us for our unconcern, 
but givest aa the direction which we need. Xow, Father, 
I would look round upon all the events of the day past. 
Wherein I have sinned, I crave Thy pardon. Wherein un- 
knowingly I have fallen, guide and sustain me. Wherein 
my heart has quailed in fear, now may I take calm con- 
fidence. Wherein I have rejoiced at appearances, may I 
rejoice with trembling, since I know not what these things 
mean. And the cares, and the sorrows, and the toils, and 
the evils of the day are past ; and Thou hast gathered us, 
Thy children, together from our work places in Thy vine- 
yard, and given us the sweets of family affection, and 
united us unto our dearest ones. Father ! with humble 
hope may we look forward to that best of gatherings 
hereafter. There are many places here that are desolate ; 
but there, no parting comes. Xow we have parted from 
one another, and we go to rest. Be with us, Father ; 
and, whether on earth or in heaven, may we wake to do 
Thy will, even as the Saviour did. Amen. 



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202 FOURTH WEEK. 



TUESDAY MOKNING. 




Zeehariah m n 12- — Tints speaheth the Lnrd txf JJJtrsts, 
easing, Behold the man whnse name is The 
Branch; and he shall grnur up xxnt txf bis place, 
and he shall build the temple xrf the Lord. 



'HE Messiah was to be the great temple-builder, 
and to erect that glorious and spiritual house, of 
of which both the old and the new temple were 
the expressive types. 

Christ, the Branch, forms the inward temple 
in our hearts, like the temple of old, according to 
the pattern in his own mind. He lays its foundations and 
builds its walls strong in righteousness. He brings in the 
ornaments of every lovely grace and harmonizing affection. 
He lights in it the lamps of heavenly wisdom ; he kindles 
upon its altar the everlasting fire ; and inflames there 
those grateful clouds of its incense. 

A temple of God implies the residence of God with 
man ; and the great object of Messiah's manifestation was 
to bring back God to the soul of man, that thus every man 
might become God's temple. Thus is he called " Emanuel, 
God with us." Thus did he ascend on high, and receive 
gifts for men, that the Lord God might dwell among them. 



m 



dEh Eh 

TUESDAY MORNING. 203 



So the Apostle prays, as for every believer, " that Christ 
may dwell in their hearts by faith/' 

He, the man whose name is the Branch, even he shall 
build the temple of the Lord; he shall bring God to man, 
and fix his residence in the human spirit. He does this 
by making us sensible of the loss of God, and by fixing in 
us the fear of everlasting separation ; by exposing the 
vanity that surrounds us, the dark plunge into ruin before 
us ; by exciting the desire after God, the effect of newly 
returning life; — the language of the soul now is, "I go 
mourning after Thee ; I thirst after Thee in a dry and 
barren land where no water is;" — by giving that seeking 
spirit which can rest in nothing but its proper object, God; 
God in Christ ; God lifting up the light of his countenance ; 
by showing us the only way to the Father ; — he does this 
by inspiring faith. And thus the work is done ; the veil 
is removed, God shines forth, the temple is purged by the 
sprinkled blood, and filled by the hallowing Spirit. Now 
man walks with God, calls Him Father, turns to seek Him 
in the soul, and finds Him there. Now he delights in 
God; he finds how free is prayer, and how accepted is 
praise. What hasting to Him for shelter ! What a sacred 
fear of offending Him ! Man is now strong in Omnipo- 
tence, light in Light, love in Love, pure in Purity, and 
satisfied in infinite fulness. "Return to thy rest, 0! my 
soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." 
."Whom have I in heaven but Thee? There is none upon 
earth that I desire beside Thee." Thus it is that God 
returns to man ; thus that the man whose name is the 
Branch builds the temple of God. 



cg_ Ep 



204 FOUETH WEEK. 



"Descend to thy Jerusalem, Lord!" 
Her faithful children cry with one accord : 
Come, ride in triumph on ! behold we lay 
Our guilty lusts and proud wills in thy way ! 

Thy road is ready. Lord! — Thy paths, made straight, 

In longing expectation seem to wait 

The consecration of thy beauteous feet ; 

And hark ! Hosannas loud thy footsteps greet ! 

Welcome, welcome to our hearts. Lord! here 

Thou ha^t a temple too, and full as dear 

As that in Sion, and as full of sin; 

How long shall thieves and robbers dwell therein ? 

Enter and chase them forth, and cleanse the floor ! 
Destroy their strength, that they may never more 
Profane with traffic vile that holy place 
Which thou hast chosen, there to set thy face. 

And then, if our stiff tongues shall silent be 
In praises of thy finish'd victory, 

The temple stones shall cry, and loud repeat 
Hosanna ! and thy glorious footsteps greet. 



PKATER 

For ever blessed be Thy name, ! Father, for Thy 
unexampled love in sending forth Thy beloved Son into 
the world, that we might be formed to a life of holiness by 
the influence of his word and spirit. Suffer me not to 
negh-ct this great salvation ; but, through a lively faith, 
may I effectually devote myself to him in all the ways of 

i ^ EP 



TUESDAY MORNING. 205 



holy obedience. May I learn of him to guard against the 
temptations which would divert me from a holy, benevolent 
and upright course ; or which would obstruct my pro,:: 3£ 
in it. Unknown and untried are many of the trials to 
which we are daily exposed : may I enter on this and on 
every day with pious fear. May no irregular working of 
my own thoughts, or the violence of appetite., disturb the 
peace, or defile the purity of my heart. Let no secresy 
betray me into any sin for which my own reflections would 
reproach me ; and which Thou, who seest in secret, wilt 
condemn. May I ever act under a sense of Thy presence, 
and be governed by an ardent desire of Thine approbation. 
May I cast all my cares upon Thee, in a joyful persuasion 
that Thou, my Heavenly Father, carest for me : and may 
that peace of Thine, which passeth all understanding, fill 
my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Thus may I pass 
through the ensaring scenes of this world without being 
ensnared by them : and meet the trying events of life 
without making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. 
Thus may I finish my course with joy, and lay hold of that 
crown of righteousness which the Saviour will give to all 
them that love his appearance. Amen. 




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206 



FOURTH WEEK. 



"ffi 



TUESDAY EVENING. 



Psalm six?., 24. — ® Lord, tour manifold are Tfry ttrxrrhs! 
to wisdom hast Thmt roads tteftt all : fto sartb is 
fttll of Thu risfres- 



v jLL tilings depend on God alone. The forming 
^D/\V hand of the great Creator first gave existence to 
all. The works of nature, great and extended, 
rose into order and beauty at His command. He 
spake and it was done. The unbounded universe, 
world beyond world, and system beyond system, 
at His word sprang into being. Where the mind, in its 
most daring flights, cannot reach, there has His power 
been exerted, — nowhere are his footsteps unknown. We 
feel lost in the immensity of His works. As the powers 
of our minds are enlarged, the more do we perceive that 
we are unable to discern limits to His creating energy. 
Yet in all are we able to discover the proofs of His great 
and glorious attributes. All that we see is regulated by 
law bespeaking power and wisdom and goodness. His 
power created, His power sustains in existence. His 
wisdom arranged, and His wisdom preserves in order 
and in beauty. His goodness has diffused happiness, 
and His wisdom and power combine with His unbounded 
goodness to produce the greatest sum of happiness. This 



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TUESDAY EVENING. 207 



beautiful and well-ordered fabric, in all its minute, and 
in all its grand displays of benevolent design, loudly 
proclaims to its rational inhabitants that there is a God, 
that He is good, and that His tender mercies are over 
all His works. The varied systems, in their several 
turns, point us to Him, who causest their variety. When 
the return of spring clothes the fields with verdure, and 
tills the earth and air with animation ; — when all the 
various tribes of living beings seem anew to live and 
to enjoy their life; — while rich provision is everywhere 
making for the supply of their several necessities ; — the 
bounties of His providence remind us of their source, and 
call upon us, in language to which ingratitude only can be 
deaf, to raise our praises to the great Author of good. 
When the labour of the husbandman comes to maturity ; 
— when the fruits of the earth are to be gathered in for 
the supply of man; — strongly do we feel our dependence 
upon Him ; and man, who too often forgets his Maker in 
the abundance of His works, is forced to acknowledge that 
there is a hidden cause beyond them. Whether His 
storms lay waste the fields, or His sunshine enables the 
husbandman to rejoice, we feel that upon His will, and 
His alone, our very existence depends. And when the 
hoar frost is scattered upon the earth ; — when life, in its 
varied forms, is often suspended, and the face of nature 
almost appears a cheerless blank ; — then do we recognise 
His hand; — then do we perceive that no human power 
could stay, for a moment, the days of light and life : and 
that, were not His preserving power continually exercised, 
all that seems would be ; the blank which seems in the 
world would continue ; the face of nature would not again 
be renewed ; and man would be left to perish amidst the 



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208 FOURTH WEEK. 



wrecks of the creation around him. But while sensible 
that the works of nature are His works, and that He 
upholds all, the barren desert and the gloomy tempest 
change their features ; the face of nature smiles ; and 
when we connect Him with His operations, and observe 
that all proceeds as He will, and that His will is good, 
— the heart is lightened from its gloom, and in all can 
trace the wonders of His providence. And in the various 
changes of human life, and our own life, the same unceas- 
ing guardianship is displayed. Our lives are in His 
hands, and all the events of those lives furnish us with 
matter for grateful reflection. In the helpless period of 
infancy, while the opening bud of life was, in a thousand 
other instances, cut off by His command, the blight of 
death came not upon us, or was remove'd before its fatal 
influence was experienced. Who then warded from us 
the approach of death, when human skill and human 
affection were unavailing? God, who gave, continued 
that being. And when our moral life began, and those 
habits and impressions were to be formed upon which our 
virtue and holiness depend, the advantages we enjoyed in 
imbibing, from the lips of goodness and from the pages of 
eternal truth, the dictates of duty, all, through the medium 
of valuable relatives and friends, were derived from Him. 
If our feet were early taught to move in the steps of His 
commandments, if the path which leads to eternal life 
was thus rendered familiar to us, and its difficulties 
lessened, for this inestimable mercy we are indebted to 
Him, and gratefully bless His holy name. While the 
powers of our body and of our minds were acquiring their 
due vigour, the increase and preservation of these powers 
were owing to Him — to His wise laws, to His constant 



"B-- 



TUESDAY EVENING. 209 



^ 



superintendence. To various stages of existence He con- 
ducted us, and conducted us safely ; and we are sensible 
that but for His protecting energy we should, long ere 
this, have ceased to be. We look, with wonder, on our 
frame ; and view, with astonishment, the various pro- 
visions He has made for its support and well-being. We 
live from one moment to another only as He continues the 
means of life. When He takes away our breath, we die 
and return to the dust. Every personal, every relative, 
every social spring of good; the blessings of life, the 
blessings which respect eternity, all proceed from Him, 
and unto Him be all the praise. 



The mighty God who rolls the spheres, 
And storms and fire and hail prepares, 

And guides this vast machine. — 
His powerful hand our life sustains, 
And scatters all those joys and pains 

Which fill this chequered scene. 

His piercing eye at once surveys 
Where thousand suns and systems blaze, 

And where the sparrow falls; 
While seraphs tune their harps on high, 
His ear attends the softest cry, 

When human misery calls. 

Eternal God ! who shall not fear, 
And trust, and love, with soul sincere, 

Thine awful glorious name ! 
Wliile man. Thy creature, swift decays. 
Time has no measure for Thy days, — 

Thou ever art the same. 



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210 URTH WEEK. 



P R A Y E R 

Of Thy git: i: conmth. ! Father, that I am here this 
evening in peace. Thou hast watched over me, and Thy 
love hath kept me mom harm. I look back on the 
struggles of the past, ami none seem to have been vrorth 
the labour, save such as were conflicts with evil. I look 
back upon its sorrows, ami wonder that they distressed me 
so. while I grieved but little mr the plague of my own 
heart. Now. ! Father, may I lay myself to rest in Thee. 
Calm the turbulence of passion: quiet the throbbing? of 
hope: repress the waywardness of the will: direct the 
motions of affection : sanctify my lot : and point my faith 
and mist steadily tu the attainment oi Thy enduring 
fav ur. Be Thou all in all to me. and all I love : and 
may all things earthly, while we 1 end them to our growth 
in grace and to the work of blessing, dwell lightly in our 
hearts, so that we may readily and even joyfully give up 
whatever Thou dost ask for. May we seek first Thy 
Idngdoni and righteousness, resting assured that then all 
things nee ami -hall be ad .led unto us. Father, pardon ray 
ingratitude and disobedience, and ramify me. whether 
[hy z -title -:r Thy -turner dealings, till I ham d:ne 
Thy will on earth, and Thou removest me to Thin: own 
presence with the redeemed in heaven. Hear me and 
accept me through Thy Bon, once the man of Borrows, 
now our glorified Redeemer, T sns Christ Amen. 



&&&*&&&« 



tfl — " -Eh 

WEDNESDAY MORNING. 211 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 




Jfsalttt cxxxi., 2. — SutbItj: I hatrs "bchared and ijitiststl 
mijsBlf as a child that is -ircancd of his lmrther ; 
mij stml is etren as a trcarn?d child. 



^N weanedness of soul there is presupposed a power 
in it of still loving and desiring. It is not the 
destruction of its appetite, but the controlling and 
changing of it. "A weaned child" still hungers, 
but it hungers no more after the food that once 
delighted it ; it is quiet without it ; it can feed on 
other things. And so with a soul that is weaned from 
the world ; it still pants as much as ever for food and 
happiness, but it no longer seeks them alone in earthly 
objects. It has other resources. There is nothing in the 
world that it feels necessary for its happiness. This thing- 
it loves, and that thing it values ; but it knows it can do 
without them ; and it is ready to do without them just 
whenever God pleases. Nor let it be supposed we speak of 
things evil in their nature only, or of certain questionable 
pleasures and indidgences. Far from this ; we speak of 
all things worldly, be they good or be they bad. Money, 
business, honour, pleasure, affection, friends, relations, 
children — everything of earthly kind that the hungry heart 
of man ever fed on — this weanedness of soul can say of 

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212 FOURTH WEEK. 



them all, "If need be, let them go" It checks the mind 
in the pursuit of them ; it sobers the mind in the enjoy- 
ment of them ; it prepares the mind to part with them ; 
it quiets the mind when they are gone. It enables a man 
to rejoice in them while he has them, as though he rejoiced 
not ; and to weep for them when he loses them, as though 
he wept not ; and, dying daily to the world, to exchange, 
with comparative serenity, the semblance and the shadow 
for the substance and reality of things " hoped for." This 
is the happiness, and this the peace of saints. 

Is there, then, any one thing that you feel you could 
not bear to part with ? Or is there any one earthly thing 
that you feel you must obtain ? then you do not possess a 
weaned soul. Could you give up all you have at God's 
call ; and, having done so, instead of saying, " There goes 
all my happiness," could rather say, though yet with 
bleeding heart, "I can be happy still, my best treasure is 
yet left!" ! then yours is a weaned heart; and, with 
David, you may say, "I am even as a weaned child." 



Quiet. Lord, my fro ward heart. 

Make me teachable and mild; 
Upright, simple, free from art, 

Make me as a weaned child ; 
From distrust and envy free, 
Pleased with all that pleaseth Thee. 

"What Thou shalt to-day i)rovide, 
Let me as a child receive; 

What to-morrow may betide 
Calmly to Thy wisdom leave; 

'Tis enough that Thou wilt hear; 

Why should I the burden bear? 



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WEDNESDAY MORNING. 213 



As a little child relies 

On a care beyond its own ; 

Knows lie's neither strong nor wise ; 

Fears to stir a step alone; 
Let me thus -with Thee abide, 
As mv Father. Guard, and Guide. 



PEAYEE. 

! Thou Father and Friend of Thy creatures. "With 
filial love and with filial reverence would I offer unto Thee 
my grateful praise for the goodness which has everywhere 
attended me ; deploring that I have been too unmindful 
of the hand which has been constantly stretched out to 
protect me ; presenting before Thy Throne of Grace my 
humble supplication, that the sense of dependence upon 
Thee, for all I have in possession or in hope, may lead 
me more and more steadily to devote myself to Thee. I 
present unto Thee, the Giver of every good and perfect 
gift, this my humble tribute of adoration and praise, 
earnestly praying that the gratitude which I would now 
cultivate in mv soul mav manifest itself in exciting me to 
do in all Things as Thou hast commanded. I supplicate 
this best of blessings, gracious Father, as the disciple of 
Jesus Christ ; ascribing unto Thee, the God and Father of 
all, never ending praises. Amen. 



i Er 1 



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214 FOURTH WEEK. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 



Xxxhn xiii.. 31, — Ttorsfars, wkm Ixb uraa gam) nut. 
Jsatts said, "Staff is tto Son of Man glorified, 
and &xxd i$ gtxxrited to Wm/' 

HE great struggle was over I The Son of Man 
had shown forth his Heavenly Father's glory by 




°g"y3 his "^hole life ; he who had been called, by a 
voice from heaven, the beloved Son of God, had 
not been called so in vain, for by him the spirit 
of God had been manifested in the flesh. Long 
had he been contemplating the final trial of his filial 
obedience, and he had, as the time approached, stead- 
fastly set his face to go np to Jerusalem ; — the death 
which he must accomplish at that city had been before 
him on the Holy Mount, when he had a slight foretaste 
of his future glory to support and encourage him ; — the 
thought of his burial was awakened by the offering of 
devoted and respectful love ; — and now, before the final 
consummation of his labours and sufferings, he was shar- 
ing, for the last time on earth, the holy paschal supper, 
with those who had been the chosen companions of his 
labours. They did not comprehend the thoughts and 
emotions which then filled his soul, yet they were faithful 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 21 ! 



HI 



followers ; they were willing, though the flesh was often 
very weak, — all but one ! That one, less than any of the 
others, knew the mind that was in his Master ; yet on this 
occasion there was an awful intelligence between them. 
Judas was conscious that he was about to deliver up his 
Lord, and he perceived that his Lord knew it. " Having 
received the sop, he straightway went out.' 7 

Now our Saviour appears relieved of a heavy load, — 
the presence of a traitor ; — now the dreadful step was 
taken; for Judas had gone forth to do his work, and he 
had desired him to do it quickly; — now he had been 
glorified by his willing obedience, and God had been 
glorified by the devoted submission of him whom He had 
chosen to be the Saviour of men ; and Jesus felt a firm 
confidence that since God was glorified by him, his seem- 
ing humiliation would be short, and that God would 
straightway glorify him. After this critical moment how 
freely did he pour forth his thoughts, and hopes, and con- 
solations, to his discij)les : how unrestrainedly did he pray 
in their presence to his Heavenly Father ! 

Can we read such passages as these, and not rejoice 
that he who was to be our Exemplar was a man of 
sorrows and of like passions with us, yet without ^in ? 
Can we withhold from him our deep and tender sympathy. 
under trials which no one of us can be called on to bear in 
equal intensity? Can we do otherwise than love him, 
who thus gave himself for us that we may be cleansed 
from all iniquity, and strive to show our love as he 
directed, by keeping his commandments ? 



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[fl 

J 216 FOUETH WEEK. 



If love, the noLlest. purest, best, — 
If truth, all other truths abore, 

Will claim return from every breast* 
Oh! surely Jesus claims oar love. 

There's not a hope with comfort fraught, 
TriumphaDt over death and time, 

But Jesus mingles in that thought, 
Forerunner of our course sublime ! 

We see him in the daily round 
Of social duty, mild and meek: 

With him we tread the hallow'd ground, 
Communion with our G-od to seek. 

We see his gentle, pityiDg eye, 

When lowly want appeals for aid; 

We hear him in the frequent sigh, 
That mourns the waste which sin has 

We meet him at the lonely tomb; 

We weep where Jesus wept before ; 
And there, above the grave's dark gloom, 

We see him rise, and weep no more. 



PEAYEE. 

Loed, how greatly Thou hast glorifr! osj by makmg 
us disciples of Thy Son ! "What high honour Thou hast 
bestowed on us. that Thou hast called ufl and 

follow Christ ! We take account of all the happiness and 
the greatness and the pomps of this life ; and we find 
they are as chaff which the wind driveth away. We con- 
sider the sufferings of this present time, and we find that 



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WEDNESDAY EVENING. 217 



they are not worthy to be compared with, the glories that 
shall follow. TTe enter the narrow portal, and we see the 
cross and the thorny crown ; but Thou hast shed over 
them a heavenly radiance, and we rejoice if we are counted 
worthy to suffer shame for Christ's sake. Father! sanctify 
unto me my best thoughts, that they may become, not 
an unwonted feast, but even as my daily bread. May I 
count it all joy, when I fall into divers trials ; and may 
they work in me patience; and patience, experience; and 
experience, hope, — a hope that maketh not ashamed ; 
because Thy love, ! Father, is shed abroad in my heart, 
through the Holy Spirit which Thou hast given to me. 
And may I be worthy of Thy Holy Spirit of discipline and 
sorrow. !May I, in the days of peace and prosperity, live 
closely with Thee, and act as responsible for Thy talents ; 
in order that when the night of sadness comes, I may be 
:.red to submit myself to the lessons of Thy love. 
Father ! I leave my lot with Thee, but oh ! may I be 
purified from sin. Leave me not unto myself, I pray 
Thee : suffer me not to depart from the chamber of holy 
thought : but in spirit may the Saviour be ever with me, 
and may his love warm my heart into devout obedience. 
Thine may I be in life ; Thine in death ; Thine at the last 
great day, and for ever : Thine through the door of faith, 
which the good Shepherd hath opened to us in Thy name. 
Amen. 




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218 



FOURTH WEEK. 



-ft 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



Hebrews xi., 34*. — ®Ktt of weakness were made strtmg. 





i 



^HENCE is our strength? From God alone. 
^^^ffiA How can we obtain strength? Solely by coming 
to Him. If our Saviour said, " I can of mine 
own self do nothing," how much more ought 
this to be the language of our lips, and the 
silent homage of our hearts ? 
Yet, though so weak children of the dust, we often 
fancy that we are strong. Our intellectual energy is 
great ; we have a consciousness of power to penetrate the 
worlds of matter and the realms of thought, and there to 
make vast conquests. "We imagine that we have moral 
strength; all the commandments have we kept from our 
youth, and we hold a just and holy sway over the minds 
of men. Yet we are not strong, for this very seeming 
strength separates us from Him without whom nothing is 
strong, and makes us worship self instead of the Creator. 

Then he that is strong with his own strength falls 
before temptation ; he is humbled in the dust ; he has no 
refuge on earth ; he flies to his Maker ; he confesses his 
weakness; he implores strength from above; and out of 
weakness he is made strong. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 219 



•a 



Blessed are the sorrows which lead us to God ; blessed 
the trials which show us our weakness. He who cast 
down surely will raise up ; He who deadens the flame 
which burnt with an impure light, will rekindle it with 
His own brightness ; He who denies the strength we ask 
for in ignorance, will make His grace sufficient for us, — 
will make us strong out of weakness. 

! my Father, may I seek no help but of Thee ! May 
I cast all my care upon Thee, and seek strength in Thee 
alone ! 



O! Loed, Tliy heavenly grace impart, 
And fix my frail, inconstant heart ; 
Henceforth my chief desire shall be, 
To dedicate myself to Thee, 
To Thee, my God! to Thee. 

Whate'er pursuits my time employ, 
One thought shall fill my soul with joy ; 
That silent, secret thought shall he, 
That all my hopes are fixed on Thee, 
On Thee, my God! on Thee. 

Thy glorious eye pervadeth space; 
Thy presence, Lord ! fills every place ; 
And wheresoe'er my lot may he, 
Still shall my spirit cleave to Thee, 
To Thee, my God! to Thee. 

Renouncing every worldly thing, 

Safe 'neath the covert of Thy wing, 

My sweetest thought henceforth shall he. 

That all I want I find in Thee, 

In Thee, my God! in Thee. 



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FOURTH WEEK. 



PE AYEE. 

Lord and Giver of life! Father of our Spirits! I would 
this morning, with all seriousness and solemnity, renew 
the dedication of myself to Thee. Take, I beseech Thee, 
the full possession of my heart, which Thou hast formed 
for Thyself; and help me to make an unfeigned surrender 
of all that I have to Thee, the great Lord of all. With 
pure fervour would I cleave unto Thee ; oh ! preserve me 
to Thyself, and let nothing be able to separate me from 
Thy love. Help me to chase away all worldly affections 
from my heart, and to raise my thoughts to spiritual and 
heavenly things. May the great work of religion be 
considered by me as the most important and delightful 
employment in which I can be engaged : and in this let 
me never be slothful or negligent, but always prepared to 
serve Thee with cheerfulness and holy zeal. Form my 
soul to a likeness of Thyself ; and, through the influence 
of Thy good Spirit, may I be led into the same mind that 
was in Christ. Let Thy blessing be upon my actions, 
and Thy grace direct my intentions, that the whole course 
of my life, and the principal designs and wishes of my 
heart, may always tend to the advancement of Thy glory, 
the good of others, and the eternal salvation of my own 
soul. Father ! command what Thou pleasest, and give 
me grace to perform diligently what Thou commandest. 
Permit what seemeth good to Thee, and give me grace to 
suffer patiently what Thou permittest. Let Thy blessing 
descend upon me, and all mine, and dwell in our hearts for 
ever. I humbly supplicate this, through Jesus Christ our 
Redeemer. Amen. 



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THURSDAY EVENING. 221 



THURSDAY EVENING. 



Ltiae xxii.. ±2. — Fatter, if Tbmt be trilling:, rcinmro 
this cup frniu me : imrerttetess mrt mg trill, but 

Thine, be rlmu\ 




UE Saviour tlius permits us, by his example, to 

pray that the bitter cup may pass from us; — he did 

S) so in deep anguish of soul, for he was enduring 

«\^f^ such intense suffering as, perhaps, no other human 

being has gone through : and, being in an agony, 

he prayed yet more earnestly ; and his sweat vras 

as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. 

Yet, while supplicating that the trial might be removed, he 

failed not to acid, "Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, 

be done."' 

In that moment of deep gloom, our Saviour saw before 
him his own acute sufferings and death, — the desertion of 
his chosen friends and their subsequent darkness of soul : 
yet could he have fully discerned beyond the cloud tin- 
glory that should follow; — could he have had present t«> 
his mind the myriads that, through his sufferings, would 
be made partakers of that glory ; — can we imagine that 
he would have offered the petition, "If Thou be willing, 
remove this cup from me'?'' But, though the veil of 



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222 FOURTH WEEK. 



nature- 8 weakness dimmed all but his approaching trials, 
nothing could separate him from his love of his Father, 
and perfect confidence that His will is best ; — his strength 
was made perfect through weakness. 

The sons of men are often, like him who hath passed 
into the heavens before them, led through a gloomy valley 
to their eternal home. They groan, being heavily burdened 
with the weight of the flesh; they weep at the tombs of 
: their best-beloved friends ; they lament the misery and 
wickedness of their fellow-creatures ; they are sunk down 
in the dust by the abasing conviction of their own unwor- 
thiness. Yet, if their wills are entirely swallowed up in 
the will of Him whose will alone is guided by infinite love 
and wisdom, can they feel more than the momentary gloom 
which was hallowed by him who was made perfect through 
suffering? The flesh is very weak, — it clogs our flight 
heavenward ; yet it is a tabernacle built by Him who is a 
Spirit, — a shrine in which he has placed a portion of His 
own divinity; and if the spirit is willing, and strives to 
unite itself to Him, it will find that even this clay, which 
seems to impede its flight, may help it heavenward; and it 
will at last discern that all is very good. We weep, and 
our Saviour wept, when those whom we most love depart ; 
but they are tears of bliss when we unite our wills with 
God's will, for we know that His good time is best for us 
and for them ; and we thank Him for that love which is 
manifested as much when he takes as when he gives. We 
grieve when we confine our view to the narrow span of 
time and space around us, and to our own imperfect notions 
of what is right and good ; for we see around, evil which 
we cannot control, misery which we cannot soothe; but we 
rejoice when we "take our stand in the divine nature," 



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THURSDAY EVENING. 223 



-a 



and see that all is infinite wisdom and mercy. And when 
we feel that we are utterly unworthy of the love of all, 
and a dark cloud hangs over our souls, let us acquiesce, 
with thankfulness, in a sorrow which our Father sees 
needful to subdue the pride of our hearts, and still say, 
" ! Father, not my will, but Thine, be done." 

! glorious hour, when our wills shall be entirely 
swallowed up in Thine, 0! Father. When faith shall 
have had its perfect work ! When we shall be one in 
Thee! 



My God, my Father, while I stray 
Far from my home, in life's rough way, 

! teach me from my heart to say, 
Thy will he done. 

Though dark my path and sad my lot, 
May I he still and murmur not. 
But breathe the prayer, divinely taught, 
Thy will be done. 

"What though in lonely grief I sigh 
For friends once loved no longer nigh, 
Submissive still I would reply. 
Thy will be done. 

If Thou shouldst call me to resign 
What most I prize, it ne'er was mine, 

1 only yield Thee what was Thine, 
Thy will be done. 

*&- — & 



[fi 03 

224 FOURTH WEEK. 



Control my will from day to day ; 
Blend it with Thine; and take away 
All that now makes it hard to say 
Thy will he done. 

And when on earth I breathe no more 
The prayer, oft mixed with tears before, 
I'll sing upon a happier shore 
Thy will be done. 



PEAYEE. 

Father! I am very weak indeed, and in Thy will 
alone is strength. I am often lost in the mazes of igno- 
rance and folly, and in Thy will alone is wisdom. I am 
overwhelmed with the sinfulness of my heart, and the 
disobedience of my life ; and Thy law is holy, Thy will is 
truth and purity itself. ! when shall I be conformed 
unto the image of Thy Son ? Shall I ever be delivered 
from the body of this death, which separates me from Thy 
holy love and presence ? Lord, Thou knowest. Open to 
my view the hidden recesses of my soul, that I may see 
what it is that is rebellious against Thy will. Shew unto 
me the plague of my own heart. May I crucify every 
unholy desire, and every vain love ; may I cast out my 
bosom sins, whatever they may be ; may I mortify my 
members which arc of the earth, and bring my body 
under subjection to Thy law; may I pull down every 
stronghold of pride, and lead my every thought into the 



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THURSDAY EVENING. 225 



obedience of Christ. Father ! I do not desire that my 
own will may be done. I know that it should not be. 
And if in my weakness and ignorance I ask for it, with- 
hold from me my entreaties. May Thy will alone be 
done, by me and by all men, in earth as in heaven ; now, 
as in the future days of Thy felt presence. May it be 
done cheerfully and lovingly ; thoughtfully and earnestly : 
calmly, and with settled purpose; in joy, in sorrow; in 
health, in sickness ; in the usual concerns of life, and in 
the unwonted claims of duty ; in life, and in the near 
prospect of eternity ; even as our Saviour said, "Not my 
will, but Thine, be done l M " Father I into Thy hands 1 
commend my spirit/' Amen. 




L 



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226 FOURTH WEEK. 



^ 



FRIDAY MORNING. 




Matthetr xxtni., 51, — |&xd bermbl! the vzil nf the 
Temple was rent ft* txi^ain from tto ttrp txx the 
bottom. 

^T was now the third hour since the supernatural 
^ darkness which had commenced at noon-day had 
shrouded the whole land of Judea. The evening 
sacrifice was offered in the presence of the assembled 
multitudes, whose terror-stricken prayers ascended 
with the smoke of the daily victim ; and one of the 
priests had entered alone into the Holy Place, to burn 
incense on the golden altar. But a greater sacrifice was 
at the same time offered without the gate : Jesus dies, 
that all may have redemption, and may come to the know- 
ledge of the saving truth which he brought from God. 
Ar.d the sacrifice is accepted by his Father; the Father 
who never loved him more than at that very moment, 
when thus suffering. As a testimony to His approbation, 
the darkness is removed ! once more the glowing light of 
the declining sun sheds its cheerful radiance upon the 
towers of Zion ; and the solitary priest in the Holy Place 
would rejoice to see the returning beams gild the clouds of 
smoke that ascended from the altar. But the dreadful 
omen had passed, only to give place to others yet more 
dreadful. What must have been his terror, when the 

"6- S 



FRIDAY MORNING. 227 



-a 



foundations of the temple shoot under him, and the veil 
was torn asunder in the midst ; when his wild gaze fell 
upon the simple walls and empty recesses of that sanctuary, 
with which he had associated all that was sublime and 
terrible in his religion ? Must he not have been one 
among the " great company of the Priests" who after- 
wards became " obedient unto the faith ?" 

The veil of rites and ceremonies, which had hidden the 
glory of God, and obscured His mercy seat, was now for 
ever removed. Jesus had died ; the law of Moses was at 
an end; the time was come when neither at the holy 
mount in Samaria, nor yet at Jerusalem alone, should 
men worship the Father. That generation did not pass 
until the awful voice had been heard in the Temple, u Let 
us depart hence :" the city of David was left desolate, 
and her children within her. They had imprecated on 
themselves the blood of the holy one and the just ; the 
favour of God had departed from them ; their covenant 
was broken; the middle wall of partition was thrown 
down ; and the new covenant of universal brotherhood 
was established on its ruins. Jesus had nailed to his 
cross the hand- writing of ordinances that was against us. 

Yet another veil was drawn aside at the death of Jesus. 
It was the veil which shrouded the mercy of the Father ; 
which prevented the sinner from discerning the hopes of 
pardon ; which left the desponding heart in doubt for the 
favour of its God. Jesus removed this veil, and displayed 
to us all the glories of the most holy place ; he revealed to 
us the secret counsels of the Almighty ; pointed us to the 
effulgent cloud of the divine presence which rested on the 
ark of the New Covenant ; exhibited the two tables of the 
law, of love to God and man ; and disclosed to us the 



4~ 



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cs —a 

228 FOURTH WEEK. 



lasting mercy-seat. This divine mercy-seat was sprinkled, 
not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with the precious 
blood of the Lamb, shed to ratify this gracious covenant of 
pardon. And thus not a yearly, but a perpetual atone- 
ment was offered for the sins of all who comply with the 
requirements of the blessed gospel, repentance and faithful 
obedience. To the death of Jesus we owe the possession 
of all the blessings of his religion ; through it we now 
have access, by a new and living way, unto the throne of 
Him who commended His love to us by sparing not His 
own Son, but freely giving him up for us all. 

And there is another veil, the darkness of which our 
Saviour hath removed : it is the veil of death, which afore- 
time hid the glories of immortality. Jesus, the great High 
Priest, passed through this gloomy curtain on the great 
day of expiation, in order that he might draw aside its 
terrors from us, and rise again from the dead, the first to 
an immortal life. Thus he has disclosed to us the Holy of 
Holies, where the glory of the Father peculiarly dwelleth. 
"That country is heaven;" it is the home of the Christian; 
and there every one that loveth the Saviour on earth shall 
see him as he is. 

Christ, our Passover, hath been slain for us ; let us, 
therefore, purge out the old leaven of wickedness and live 
in sincerity and truth. Let us crucify the flesh, with its 
affections and lusts, and walk in love, as Christ also loved 
us. Let us offer ourselves unto God a living sacrifice : 
and then every veil of sin and error, of weakness and 
doubt, of sorrow and bereavement, will be drawn away. 
Christ will dwell in our hearts by faith ; and, hereafter, 
the life which is now hid with him in God will be revealed 
to us in the perfection of love and joy. 



t& 



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FRIDAY MORNING 



229 I 



Is the Cross of Christ I glory, 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time. 

All the light of sacred story 

Gathers round its head sublime. 

When the woes of life o'ertake me. 

Hopes deceive and fears annoy. 
Never shall the Cross forsake me : 

Lo ! it glows with peace and joy. 

When the sun of bliss is beaming 
Light and love upon my way, 

From the Cross the radiance streaming 
Adds more lustre to the day. 

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure. 

By the Cross are sanctified : 
Peace is there that knows no measure. 

Joys that through all time abide. 

In the Cross of Christ I glory, 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time. 

All the light of sacred story 

Gathers round its head sublime. 



PRAYER 

Sensible of my own weakness, I look up unto Thee, 
our Father, for Thine assistance and blessing. Surrounded 
as I am by numerous and powerful temptations, which 
tend to draw off my attention and to weaken my affec- 
tions to Thee and duty, I earnestly implore all those aids 
which, in the gracious methods of Thy providence, Thou 

* ~& 



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230 FOURTH WEEK. 



bestowest upon Thy feeble children of mortality. Holy 
Father ! suffer me not in the moment of thoughtlessness 
to be led astray from the path of Thy commandments ; 
above all, suffer me not wilfully and intentionally to yield 
to any temptation to sin. May I never, through sinful 
confidence in my own powers, place myself in the way of 
trial. May I carefully observe the first inroads of sin, 
and in no instance think of disobedience to Thy law as 
otherwise than destructive. ! gracious Father, for those 
who are totally forgetful of Thee, who live without atten- 
tion to the voice of conscience and to the commands of 
the Gospel, I pray that they may perceive their sins and 
their danger, and immediately and earnestly endeavour, 
by timely repentance, to regain Thy forfeited favour. 
Grant that I may never rest satisfied with anything short 
of unreserved obedience to Thy holy will. May christian 
principle take a more fall and complete possession of my 
mind ; and may it become the object of my highest aim to 
comply with those terms of peace and pardon which are 
declared to us in the Gospel of Thy Son. ! gracious 
God, preserve me, I entreat Thee, from all influence of 
evil opinions, evil customs, and evil examples. May I 
cultivate that lively abhorrence of sin which will aid in 
preserving me from its fatal snares ; and may I never 
forget that the example and conduct of others will furnish 
no excuse for me when I appear before Thy holy tribunal. 
May I not, through foolish pride, omit the steady employ- 
ment of those means of duty which I possess. While I 
pray for holiness, may my exertions be honestly directed 
to the attainment of it. May I aim to acquire correct 
views of duty, and in all things learn to submit to its 
guidance. The hopes which Thou hast set before me to 



>&■ 



rB — — — — -ft 

FRIDAY MORNING. 231 



encourage my feeble endeavours, the gracious promises 
which Thou hast made to faithful, though imperfect obedi- 
ence, claim my heartfelt praise ; but, ! my Father, impress 
upon my mind a lively apprehension of those destructive 
consequences of sin which Jesus has pointed out to my 
fears. Unseduced by the allurements of interest or of 
pleasure, may I shun the broad path which leadeth to 
destruction ; and, having chosen the good part, may I be 
finally owned by my great Master as His faithful servant. 
Grant these best of blessings, Heavenly Father, which I 
supplicate as the disciple of Thy well-beloved Son, our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 




cy-- _ ^ 



a- 



FOURTH WEEK. 



^ 



FRIDAY EVENING. 




y.raliv xxir.. 32. — ^-nd then >aixl nwe- to axirithpr, BM 
nut cur kearte burn rrithin u>. irhilB to talked 
-iritb us hu thp- rrau. and irhile to irntuipd to tta 
the Scripture ! 



'T was the evening of our Lord's resurrection, when 

two disciples were walking to Emmam They left 
sQ behind them the great city, the holiness of which 
seemed to have departed, and with whose festive 
sounds they could not sympathize. They did not 
even seek those who had followed their Lord with 
them. He was gone; and the tidings the women brought, 
that he was risen, seemed to them but as an idle tale, 
awakening them more sensibly to the reality of their loss. 
They communed together and reasoned ; and as they 
walked they were sad ; when Jesus appeared to them, but 
either in another form [Mark xvi., 12), or their eyes were 
holden ; for they knew him not. He enquired the cause 
of their grief; he gently rebuked them for their faithless- 
ness, and opened to them the Scriptures. Still they were 
Lous of his presence, though he spake as never 
man spake, till, as he sat at their table, he took bread and 
blessed, and brake, and gave unto them. The tones of 



■t- 



FEIDAY EVENING. 233 



-a 



heavenly blessing reminded them of the times when they 
had before beheld him breaking and distributing that 
good gift of God, which was a faint emblem of himself; 
and their eyes were opened, and they knew him, but only 
to behold him depart ; and they said one to another, 
'•Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked 
with us by the way, and while he opened to us the 
Scriptures?*' 

The hearts of the disciples burned when they were 
with their Lord whom the}' loved : so may ours, for he 
has not deserted us. They had just been thinking and 
speaking of him before he met them; let us, in like 
manner, invite his presence into our hearts. And as we 
walk in the way of life, which is often a sad one, his spirit 
shall open to us the mysterious page of God's dealings ; 
the handwriting in the books of nature and of grace shall 
no more appear unknown characters ; he shall commune 
with us of light, and life, and love ; and the crooked shall 
be made straight, and the rough place shall be smooth ; 
all things shall be become new : our hearts will burn 
within us ; all selfishness and distrust shall be consumed ; 
and the best emotions of the soul shall be kindled into a 
sacrifice acceptable to God. We shall no more be slow of 
heart to believe : and when our rapturous musings shall 
have ceased, and the glow of heavenly joy shall for a time 
have cooled, we shall yet return to our Jerusalem with 
hearts purified by the refiner's fire, and gladdened by the 
divine presence ; and we shall be enabled to declare to our 
fellow disciples the loving kindness of the Lord. 



4~- 



w 



£3 HJ 

234 FOURTH WEEK. 



Hath not thy heart within thee burned 
At evening's calm and holy hour, 

As if its inmost depths discerned 
The presence of a loftier power? 

Hast thou not heard, 'mid forest glades, 
While ancient rivers murmured by, 

A voice from forth the eternal shades, 
That spake a present Deity? 

And as upon the sacred page, 
Thy eye in rapt attention turned 

O'er records of a holier age, 

Hath not thy heart within thee burned? 



It was the voice of God. that spake 

In silence to thy silent heart, — 
And bade each worthier thought awake. 

And every dream of earth depart. 

As they who once with Jesus trod, 

With kindling breast his accents heard. 

But knew not that the Son of God 
Was uttering every burning word; — 

Father of Jesus ! thus Thy voice 

Speaks to our heart in tones divine; 

Our spirits tremble and rejoice, 
But know not that the voice is Thine. 

Still be Thy hallowed accents near! 

To doubt and passion whisper peace; 
Direct us on our journey here, 

Then bid. in heaven, our wanderings cease. 



43 *-ff 



FRIDAY EVENING. 23 I 



-a 



PEAYEE. 

How often, blessed Father, hast Thou spoken unto us, 
and we knew Thee not I In how many voices hast Thou 
called to us, and we have not obeyed! At how many times 
hast Thou been very near unto us, when we knew not 
Thee ! How often have we cried, in longing helplessness 
and in bitter sorrow, as though Thou hadst for ever 
forsaken us ; and lo ! Thou wast in our midst, and wast 
sending the very things which hid Thee from us ! Thy 
ways, Father, are not as our ways. Therefore I will fully 
trust Thy love ; for my own ways I love not ; I feel that 
they are laid in vanity and ignorance and weakness and 
iniquity, and end in shame and sorrow. Open my eyes, I 
pray Thee, that I may see Thy presence, and trust Thy 
wisdom and Thy love. If this day I have felt Thee with 
me, and the thought of heaven has been present to my 
soul, and Thy words of peace have calmed my troubled 
spirit, and the voice of duty I have heard, and welcomed 
Thy inward call, — depart not from me, ! Thou that ever 
art the same. Let not the slumbers of this night work 
forgetfulness of the hopes and resolutions of the day. Let 
not the cares of daily toil drive from my breast the cares 
of heavenly concern. Ever let my heart burn with holy 
zeal and pure affection ; so that in all times I may serve 
Thee, and each day feel the peace of heavenly trust, and 
the joy of glad obedience to Thy will. Take care of all 
whom Thou hast united to me in the bonds of love ; and 
be with us all evermore, through our risen and glorified 
Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



w 



cfi- 



236 



FOURTH WEEK. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 



Ifhil. in., 13. 14. — Bnuhn-u. I iuiunt nnt unj.seli' to hart. 
appretottded : btrt this txxm thing I tin ; forjcttmg 
thnae things trhiuh are behind, antl reauhing forth 
until tbnse things trbicb art before, I prsss trnrard 
the mark for tht prize of tte high railing nf &tid 
m Ehrtst Je$trs« 

^XM ^HEEE is the moment for pausing? At what 
^y^b[ hour may the child of God, having such a work 
as His to do, and such obstacles to hinder him, 
say to himself. It is enough, I will cease from 
my labour ? At what age may man, with his 
eye on his Master, and his hope on heaven, lay 
down the staff of his pilgrimage, and say, I have attained; 
I have reached the stature of my Lord, and my soul may 
rest from toil ? 

Not while it is recorded that the prince of the Apostles, 
— the inspired, the indefatigable Paul, — felt himself at a 
distance from perfection, and feared to stop in his attain- 
ments. Xot while man's life is likened in the Gospel to a 
race ; for he that pauses must lose it. Xot while it is 
called in Scripture a warfare ; for he that lays down his 
arms, or sleeps upon his post, before the warfare is accom- 
plished, suffers for infidelity or treason. Xot while sin is 
in the world, and temptation abounds, and the love of 




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SATURDAY MOBNING. 237 



■a 



many waxes cold. No : the pilgrimage of toil and duty 
must go on, while the heart throbs and the pulse beats, 
without intermission, without fainting, steadily, resolutely. 
Through the desert it may be ; but God is there, giving 
water from the rock and meat from heaven; and who, 
then, will faint at the prospect? In perils and straights 
it may be ; but God is in the midst, with the cloudy pillar 
of His providence and grace; and who, then, will shrink 
from the way? Among enemies, in fearful and banded 
array, it may be ; but who will tremble at their power, 
that is protected by the shield of faith, and armed by the 
sword of the spirit, and led toward the promised land by 
the captain of his salvation? Let the believing pilgrim 
then go on; without halting, without looking back, with- 
out distrust; onward, onward, — till the way-worn feet 
stand on the borders of the Jordan, and the bright in- 
heritance is seen at hand. Then, as it is written, " the 
feet of them that bear the ark shall stand still ;" then the 
children of God may rest from their watchings and toils ; 
and having past the dark river, in whose swelling waters 
the grace of God shall bear them up, they shall go every- 
one to the place prepared for him from the foundation of 
the world. 



Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve, 
And press with vigour on ! 

A heavenly race demands thy zeal, 
And an immortal crown. 

A cloud of witnesses around 

Hold thee in full survey; 
Forget the steps already trod, 

And onward urge thy way. 



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238 FOURTH WEEK. 



Tis God's all-animating voice 

That calls thee from on high ; 
'Tis His own hand presents the prize 

To thine aspiring eye: — 

That prize, with peerless glories bright, 

Which shall new lustre boast, 
When victors' wreaths, and monarchs' gems 

Shall blend in common dust. 



PEAYER 

Father, all perfect, all holy, but all loving! Once 
more I awake to life and duty ; and the sorrowful struggles 
of my heart must still go on. Thou hast once more called 
me to the strife of temptation, and to the eagerness of 
hopeful interests, and to the gaining of fresh heights of 
holiness. Thou hast once more bid me accept the con- 
ditions of heavenly blessings. Lord, I feel sometimes 
weighed down with sadness ; for even when I have taken 
confidence in the peace of trustful service, and have sealed 
my inheritance, the evil temptations of the past rise up 
and trouble me ; and I flee from them, and reach forth 
unto those things that are before ; but Thou givest me to 
possess the sins of my youth. Father, I accept whatever 
discipline Thou appointed for me ; but ! in Thy mercy 
save me from the deeds of darkness, and the corruptions 
of my former self. Lord, I would be a new creature. I 
desire no partial enjoyment of my former unhallowed 
ways. Never suffer me. to have peace in evil doing. Never 



"&-• 



SATURDAY MORNING. 239 




■a 



allow me to rest on my oars in the dangerous calms of 
life. ! create a clean heart and renew a right spirit 
within me. Nearer and nearer still, ! Father, may each 
day bring me to my home. In Thy felt presence may 
all the suggestions of evil be readily overcome. In Thy 
strength may I find that I can do all that Thou com- 
mandest. And in Thy love may I find the rich reward of 
all strife and sorrow, and the peaceful joy that seals my 
hope of heaven. Lead me, I Father, thitherward ; and 
Thine shall be the praise for ever, through the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



~ 



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240 



FOURTH WEEK. 



-a 



SATURDAY EVENING. 




Jtets i., 9. — J> ckmd rztmwxl him nut of thefa sight. 



I PHAT a moment was that ! For a time the 
Apostles would be filled with astonishment and 
rapture ; their thoughts would be carried with 
Jesus in a sort of ecstasy ; but as they silently 
returned to their home they would miss the 
sweetly-solemn tones of him to whom, but a 
few minutes before, they had reverently listened. He 
was no longer with them — the guide, the friend, and the 
instructor — and their mortal eyes would no more behold 
him. 

Have we ever felt the void when we have lost a friend ? 
Think, then, what it must have been to have lost Jesus ! 

Let us go with them to their " large upper room." 
Perhaps it was that into which Jesus had entered with his, 
" Peace be unto you," as they sat at meat. Perhaps the 
very chamber in which he eat the last supper with them. 
They would never see him there again ! Did they give 
themselves up to selfish grief, or did they strive to lose the 
sense of their bereavement by unseasonable merriment ? 
Did they make light of it, and go their way? No! In 
company with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, 



m- 



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SATURDAY EVENING. 241 



-a 



they continued, with one accord, in prayer and supplica- 
tion. What a blessing it is when the bereaved know 
where to go ! Prayer was no novelty to them ! their Lord 
had taught them how to pray ; and when he was gone 
they benefit by the lesson. And they continued "of one 
accord." They are separated from Jesus, but are drawn 
more closely to one another. Prayer binds them together. 
A common object of attachment, Christ, unites them in 
fellowship ; and so they continue till the day of Pentecost; 
when, being of one accord in one place, the spirit descends 
upon them ! And now the period of retirement and sus- 
pense is ended ; ten days' seclusion passed in prayer, in 
meditation, and in the interchange of brotherly affection, 
had done its work. The spirit is poured upon their 
chastened minds. The comforter, which their master had 
promised, brings his words to their remembrance. They 
are now with him more than ever. He is absent in body, 
yet they are present with their Lord. They are fully 
reconciled to his removal. Though now they saw him 
not, yet believing, they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory. They would not, if they could, call Jesus 
back again to earth ; they rather longed to rejoin him in 
heaven. 

Have any been removed from us whom we have loved 
with a holy affection, less only than that which the disciples 
had for their Lord ? Has a cloud, perhaps to us a dark 
one, received them out of our sight ? Hay they so dwell 
with us in spirit ; — may they so draw us to them ; — and 
may our affections be raised from things beneath, to those 
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God ! 



t- 



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242 FOURTH "WEEK. 



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The hour must come ! — the closest ties 
Which bind to earth will sever'd be : 

To Thee, O ! God., we lift our eyes.. 

And seek our rest in heaven and Thee. 

The tears of nature, gracious Lord ! 

Thou wilt with pitying eye behold: 
And faith in Thine eternal word 

Its heavenly prospects will unfold. 

The hour will come when endless day 
Shall chase the darkness of the grave : 

Jesus, who trod the gloomy way. 

Hath power from death itself to save. 

The hour will come. — the closest ties 

Which bound on earth shall be renewed; 

When all shall live that sanctifies; 
And all that sullies be subdued. 

Then shall we see the loved we leave ; 

Rejoin the friends who've gone before: 
United bliss from Thee receive; 

And dwell with Jesus evermore. 

! may this cheering prospect guide 
In friendship's duties, friendship's joys ; 

In faith and love our souls abide, 
Aud follow duty's sacred voice! 



CQ-' — B 1 



a 

SATURDAY EVENING. 243 



PEATER 

! Thou blessed and only Potentate, King of kings, 
and Lord of lords. Thou only hast immortality, dwelling 
in the light which no man can approach tint.'! X:- m:,:t 
hath seen Thee nor can see Thee. We look to Thy throne, 
and behold the cloud and darkness which surround it. 
But when Thou givest of Thine immortality to the sons of 
men. they feel themselves Thy children, and draw nigh to 
Thee, their Heavenly Father : an 1 then they "behold the 
goodness and truth which go before Thy lace. I thank 
Thee. Father, that Thou didst cause Thy grace and truth 
to dwell among us : that, through the veil of u^-sh. Thy 
love shone : ;r:h in Jesus. Thy son ; that he lived in the 
sight of his brethren, and manifested Thy glory: and that 
when he who was from heaven ascended to Thee, and the 
cloud received him from the eyes of affection, he is still 
revealed to these who love him and keep his command- 
ments. Thou kind and go: I God, with what mercies Thou 
hast crowned the week which is now closing. Thou hast 
caused :l:uls which threatened me to disperse, and some 
which I ireadc 1 have proved to be full of Thy blessings. 
I thank Thee foi the hours of light, and also for those of 
darkness ; that at lames Thou hast permitted me i 
clearly, and that ?t bid me trust in Thee hopefully: 

that Thou hast revealed Thy love in my own heart, and in 
the affection of my Mends, and hast exercised my faith by 
the passing cloud. And now, whilst sleep enshrouds me, 
may Thy goodness si my life, preserve me for Thy 



4 



244 FOURTH WEEK. 



service, and my friends for the joy of my heart and the 
welfare of my soul. If Thou wakest me on earth, may it 
be for the holy work of the Lord's day ; if Thou wakest 
me with the final wakening, may it find me above the 
clouds, to be for ever with the Lord. Unite me and mine 
in the bonds of that holy love which shall make us Thy 
children — members of Thy holy family — heirs of eternal 
blessedness with Thy dear Son, our Saviour. Amen. 



To sum up all in a word, wait patiently, trust humbly, depend 
wholly upon, seek solely to a God of light and love, of mercy 
and goodness, of glory and majesty, ever dwelling in the 
inmost depth and spirit of your soul. There you have all 
the secret, hidden, invisible upholder of all the creation, whose 
blessed operation will always be found by a faithful, humble, 
loving, calm, patient introversion of your heart to Him, who 
lias His hidden heaven within you. and which will open itself 
to you. as soon as your heart is left wholly to His eternal, 
<wer-speaking word. 'and ever-sanctifying spirit within you. 

Law. 




cg_ [J 



cB Hi 



JA 



EDITATIONS 



FOR 



Particular 



ICULAR UCCASIONS. 



r£ gi 



E& 



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Meditations 

FOR 

Particular 0( 



ICULAR UCCASIONS. 



INVITATION TO THE LORDS' SUPPER 



<& 




i LL Christian people must come. They, indeed, 
that are in the state of sin, must not come so ; 
but yet they must come. First they must quit 
their state of death, and then partake of the 
cS%^ bread of life. They that are at enmity with 
their neighbours must come ; that is no excuse 
for their not coming ; only they must not bring their 
enmity along with them, but leave it, and then come. 
They that have variety of secular employments must come ; 
only they must leave their secular thoughts and affections 
behind them, and then come and converse with God. If 
any man be well grown in grace, he must needs come, 
because he is excellently disposed to so holy a feast ; but 
he that is but in the infancy of piety, had need to come, 
that so he may grow in grace. The strong must come, 
lest they become weak; and the weak, that they may 



& 



0~~ " : — Bl. 

248 PAKTICULAE COCASIONS. 



become strong. The sick must come to be cured, the 
healthful to be preserved. They that have leisure, must 
come, because they have no excuse; they that have no 
leisure, must come hither, that by so excellent religion 
they may sanctify their business. The penitent sinners 
must come, that they may be justified; and they that are 
justified, that they may be justified still. They that have 
fears and great reverence for these mysteries, and think 
no preparation to be sufficient, must receive, that they 
may learn how to receive the more worthily ; and they that 
have a less degree of reverence, must come often to have it 
heightened ; that, as those creatures that live amongst the 
snows of the mountains, turn white with their food and 
conversation with such perpetul whitenesses ; so our souls 
may be transformed into the similitude and union with 
Christ, by our perpetual feeding on him, and conversation, 
not only in his courts, but in his very heart, and most 
secret affections, and incomparable purities. 




"B — 5 1 



THE lord's supper. 249 



PEEPARATIOX FOP THE LORD'S SUPPER. 




jiroO man must dare to approach the holy sacrament 
^y>\? of the Lord's Supper if he be in a state of any 

Wone sin, that is, unless he have entered in the 
state of repentance, that is, of sorrow and amend- 
CQ\ ment ; lest it be said concerning him, as it was 
concerning Judas, the hand of him that betrayeth 
me is with me on the table. 

Every communicant must first have examined himself, 
that is, tried the condition and state of his soul, searched 
out the secret ulcers, inquired out its weaknesses and 
indiscretions, and all those aptnesses where it is exposed 
to temptation ; that by finding out its diseases he may find 
a cure ; and by discovering its aptnesses he may secure its 
present purposes of future amendment, and may be armed 
against dangers and temptations. 

In this affair let no man deceive himself, and weep for 
his sins by way of solemnity and ceremony, and still retain 
the affection ; but he that comes to this feast must have 
on the wedding garment, that is, he must put on Jesus 
Christ ; and he must have put off the old man, with his 
affections and lusts ; and he must be wholly conformed to 
Christ in the image of his mind. For then we have put 
on Christ, when our souls are clothed with his righteous- 



^ 



Zt\ . PARTIGULAS C : lASlONS. 



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land 


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must 



ness : when every faculty of dux a 

vested according to the partem of C 
always, that after a great -in. or 
man is not soon made clean ; anr n: 

•::me to this feast. It is not the preparation of two or 
three days "hot can ht a person for this banc net : nothing 
can prepare us for it but whet can unite ns to Christ and 
t:< oar Heavenly Pother. 

When we have this general and indispensably necessary 
preparation. w r ate to make our souls more adorned and 
trimmed up with circumstances of pious actions and special 
devcrions. setting apart some portion of our time imme- 
diately before the day of solemnity, according as our great 
occasions will permit : and this time is especially to be 
^Oeut in actions of repentance, confession of our sins, 
renewing our purposes of holy living, praying for pardon 
of our failings, and for those graces which may prevent 
the like sadnesses for the time tc come: meditation upon 
the passion, and the infinite love of God: ana indehnitely 
in all acts of virtue which may build our souls up into 
a temple fit for the reception of Christ himself, ani the 
tion :: the Holy Spirit. 

The Celebration of the holy sacrament must suppose us 
in the love of God, and in charity with all the world : and, 
therefore , we nius t , b e : or e eve ry c o m m u ni on e sp e :• i a 1 1 y . 
remember what differences or jealousies are between us 
and any one else, and recompose all disunions, and cause 
right understandings between each other: offering to satisfy 
whom we have injured, and to forgive them who have 
injured us, without thoughts of resuming the quarrel 
when the solemnity is t is 1 of to rake the 

embers in light and fantastic ashes ; it : ms: : preached, 



4- 



THE lord's supper. 251 



.-a 



and a holy flame enkindled ; no fires must be at all, but 
the fires of love and zeal ; and the altar of incense will 
send up a sweet perfume. 

When the day of the feast is come, lay aside all cares 
and impertinences of the world, and remember that this 
is thy soul's day, a day of traffic and intercourse with 
heaven. Arise early in the morning. 1. Give God thanks 
for the approach of so great a blessing. 2. Confess thy 
own unworthiness to receive it. 3. Then remember and 
deplore thy sins which have made thee so unworthy. 4. 
Then confess God's goodness, and take sanctuary there, 
and upon Him place thy hopes; 5. And invite Him to 
thee with renewed acts of love, of holy desire, of hatred of 
his enemy, — sin. 6. Make oblation of thyself wholly to 
be disposed by Him, to the obedience of Him, to his pro- 
vidence and possession ; and pray Him to enter and dwell 
there for ever. And after this, with joy and holy fear, 
and the forwardness of love, address thyself to communion 
with Him, to whom, and by whom, and for whom, all 
faith, and all hope, and all love, in the whole catholic 
church, both in heaven and earth, is designed. 

In the act of receiving, exercise faith with much 
confidence and resignation. Dispute not concerning the 
manner of Christ's presence with thee; it is sufficient to 
thee that Christ shall be present to thy soul, as an instru- 
ment of grace, as a pledge of the resurrection, as the 
earnest of glory and immortality, and a means of many 
intermedial blessings, even all such as are necessary for 
thee, and are in order to thy salvation. And to make all 
this good to thee, there is nothing necessary on thy part 
but a holy life, and a true belief of all the sayings of 
Christ. 



^ 



tfr 



252 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



Fail not at this solemnity, according to the custom of 
pious and devout people, to make an offering to God for 
uses of religion and the poor, according to thy ability. 
For when Christ feasts his body, let us also feast our 
fellow members, who have a right to the same promises, 
and are partakers of the same sacrament, and partners of 
the same hope, and cared for under the same Providence, 
and descended from the same common parents, and whose 
Father God is, and Christ is their elder brother. If 
thou chancest to communicate where this holy custom is 
not observed publicly, supply that want by thy private 
charity ; but offer it to God at His holy table, at least by 
thy private designing it there. 

"When you have received, pray and give thanks. Pray 
for all estates of men ; for they also have an interest in 
the body of Christ, whereof they are members ; and you, 
in conjunction with Christ, whom then you have received, 
are more fit to pray for them in the celebration of this 
holy rite. Give thanks for the passion of our dearest 
Lord, and beg of God, that by a holy perseverance in well 
doing you may from shadows pass on to substances, from 
the typical and transient to the real and eternal supper of 
the Lamb. 

After the solemnity is done, let Christ dwell in your 
hearts by faith, and love, and obedience, and conformity 
to his life and death; put Christ on you, and conform 
every faculty of your soul and body to his holy image and 
perfection. Remember that you should be now one with 
Christ; and, therefore, when you are to do an action, 
consider how Christ did, or would do the like, and do 
you imitate his example, and understand all his com- 
mandments, and choose all that he propounded, and desire 



tfl- 



-B 



THE LORDS SUPPEK. 253 



his promises, and fear his threatenings, and contract his 
friendships ; for then do you every day communicate ; 
especially when Christ thus dwells in you, and you in 
Christ, growing up towards a perfect man in Christ Jesus. 
Do not instantly, upon your return from church, return 
also to the world, and secular thoughts and employments ; 
but let the remaining parts of that day be like a post 
communion, or an after office, holding holy converse with 
your blessed Lord, acquainting him with all your needs, 
revealing to him all your needs, and opening all your 
infirmities ; and as the affairs of your person or employ- 
ment call you off, so retire again to pious intercourse with 
your beloved guest. 




4 ^ 



a- 



254 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



~a 



MEDITATION AT THE LOED'S SUPPER. 



This dxt to vmxwmbvmtz xrf mo/ 




GAIN do I partake of this blessed feast of my 
Lord, which unites us with him, and brings him 
to us in his trials, his sufferings, and his dying- 
love. How beautiful is the thought, that he 
wished that men for whom he died should, by 
this simple act, cherish his memory, not only as 
their benefactor, but as one who shared with them the 
feelings of friendship, as one who desired their love and 
sympathy! It may be that when our Saviour first ordained 
this mode of remembering him, he thought only of his 
Apostles, who had been the chosen companions of his 
ministry ; but afterwards, when he was glorified, and had 
received into his heart's love not only the "lost sheep of 
the house of Israel," but all the wandering ones, all the 
children of his Father, — then he desired that they too 
should have awakened towards him the tender feelings of 
social love, and therefore made an especial communication 
of his wishes to the last, but not least of the Apostles, 
who must have been peculiarly dear to him, as the sinner 
who, through him, had repented. 



en 



■ff 



; — a 

THE LORDS SUPPER. 255 



How inspiring the thought, that I am now uniting 
with myriads of my fellow Christians in an act of love to 
that Saviour through whom we have the greatest blessings 
we enjoy, — by whom we have access to the throne of 
grace, — who has revealed to us the Father of our spirits, 
and kindled in our souls that immortal flame which is to 
burn with a purer lustre in the presence of God, through 
the countless ages of eternity ! I eat of this bread, and 
drink of this wine, in remembrance of Jesus, of his body 
which was broken for us, of his blood which was shed for 
us. And what recollections arise to my mind of all he did 
and taught and suffered for us I Each event of his life 
awakens within me new love and gratitude, — new convic- 
tion that he was indeed the beloved Son of God, — that it 
was he who was to call men from the death of sin to the 
life of righteousness, to give them the assurance of pardon 
and eternal life ; and I thank my God that He sent us 
such heavenly messages by so divine a messenger. But 
these memorials before me lead me peculiarly to dwell on 
this crowning act of love and obedience, and on the scenes 
of tender friendship and of deep anguish which preceded 
it. Here I feel his presence near me, and with his image, 
every blessing of his faith and hope rises brightly to view. 
Here he demands my deepest sympathy, my warmest love, 
my devoted obedience. Here would I resolve henceforth 
better to show my remembrance of him, by listening to 
his words and obeying his commands, — here would I lay 
aside all earnest desires but that of sharing with him 
the presence of his Father and our Father. 0! may this 
blessed hour shed its influence over my future life, and 
may I go on my way rejoicing, with Jesus ever near me. 



■i 



ft 



rARTICULAE OCCASIONS 



-a 



According- to thy gracious word. 

In meek humility. 
This will I do. my dying Lord, 

I will remember thee. 

Thy body, broken for my sake. 

My bread from heaven shall be; 
Thy testamental cup I take, 

And thus remember thee. 

Gethsemane can I forget ? 

Or there thy conflict see. 
Thine agony and bloody sweat, 

And not remember thee ? 

When to the Cross I turn mine eyes, 

And rest on Calvary, 
O ! Lamb of God, our sacrifice, — 

I must remember thee. 

Remember thee, and all thy pains, 

And all thy love to me; 
Yea. while a breath, a pulse remains, 

Will I remember thee. 

And when these failing lips grow dumb, 

And mind and memory flee, 
When thou shalt in thy kingdom come, 

Jesus remember me ! 



C3_. 



J 



THE LORD 8 SUPPER. 



-a 



P E A Y E R 

Lord ! Thou never forgettest us. Thou art mindful of 
Thy promises, while we think not of Thee. Thou pre- 
ventest us by Thy grace, when we are nigh unto sin and 
destruction. I bless Thee that Thou hast thus far kept us 
near Thee. ! what a sweet thought it is, that so many 
are united with us around the table of Thy Son, whether 
in the body or out of the body, still one with us in Thee 
and him ! I thank Thee for the outward bond, but far 
more for the One Spirit into which Thou baptizest us. ! 
that we may remember Thee in our daily life ; that Thy 
Son may be with us in our daily pilgrimage : that Thy 
Spirit may be our guard in the daily trials of life and 
duty ! ! never suffer the spirit of sinful forgetfulness 
to usurp the throne of Thy loved sovereignty ; but by Thy 
warnings, by Thy chastisements, by Thy helps, and by all 
Thy mercies, keep us in the knowledge of Thee, and in 
the remembrance of Thv Son. Amen. 




<&- 



-^ 



a- 



258 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



MEDITATION AFTER THE LORD'S SUPPER. 




^E have now made an open acknowledgment of 
our belief in Christ. "We have recognised his 
claims on our love and obedience. Is faith 
dead? Do we mean nothing by our professions? 
Has not each one here been communing with 
his own heart, and been silently resolving that 
the time -past of his life shall have sufficed to have worked 
iniquity ? We trust in the promises of mercy on forgive- 
ness through Christ. Is this trust barren and unprofitable? 
"We believe that he whose death we are now commemo- 
rating rose again, — is that nothing to us? Are we not 
sure that as he lives we shall live also ; and that whether 
that future life is to be one of joy, or clouded by sorrow, 
depends on the way in which we have our conversation in 
the world ? "We may indeed have been eating to our own 
hurt. If with all these solemn considerations before us 
we are unaffected, cold, or indifferent as to our salvation, 
careless of God and of our own souls, — we may be sure 
that our condition is a melancholy one, and these neglected 
means of grace will rise as witnesses to condemn us. But 
let us examine ourselves. Surely our hearts must be now 
quickened by a love of Christ. Could we have walked 
with him, witnessed his deeds of mercy, beheld his entire 



© 



f 



THE lord's supper. 259 



Fe.om the table now retiring. 
Which for us the Lord hath spread, 

our souls, refreshment finding, 
Grow in all things like their Head. 

His example by beholding. 

May our lives his image bear ; 
Him our Lord and Master calling, 
- commands may we revere. 



-± 



self-devotion, without being affected ? Could we have sat 
round the paschal table, received from him the bread and 
wine which he had blessed, heard his warnings, partaken 
of his consolations, foreseen his danger, witnessed his 
agony, beheld his patience under cruel mockings and 
scourgings, looked on him as he hung on the cross, and 
yet not have been moved with virtuous emotions ? 

He now "is gone above the skies. 

Where our weak senses reach him not, — 
And earthly objects court our eyes, 

To thrust our Saviour from our thought.'" 

But, by this rite, we hold him dear in remembrance; our 
memory is refreshed, our feelings are quickened. What a 
holy peace can he bestow on the contrite heart ! How 
calm the rest he offers to the humble and repentant ! 
H w fearful, indeed, the doom of the daringly impenitent ? 
But how easy the yoke, how light the burden, which those 
have to bear who follow him ! And then that peace and 
calm hope will be ours ; if we have loved him on earth, 
in heaven shall we behold him, when faith shall be lost 
in sight. 



■^ 



or 



260 



PARTICU.AP. : [ "ASIONS. 



-a 



Love to God and man displaying, 

Walking steadfast in thv way, — 
Joy attend us in believing! 

Peace from God through endless 1 



P B A Y E B . 

Father ! I bless Thee for the privilege we have had in 
meeting around Thy Son's table. I thank Thee for all 
our opportunities of recalling the scenes of our Saviour's 
life and death, and of quickening our pure affections and 
heavenly hopes. They are indeed means of grace to us! 
Lord, may we not be a- those vrho do not thus taste of 
Thy love. But let us shew them, I entreat Thee, by our 
greater earnestness and humility, that it has been good for 
us to be at Thy Son'- table. AJay the death of Christ be 
so shewn forth in our lives, that many may take knowledge 
of us that we have been with .Jesus, and may thus be led 
to glorify Thee, cur Father in Heaven. Thus work in us. 
I entreat Thee, that we maybe blessings to these to whom 
Christ hath united us as brethren ; and finally ma}" we be 
joined as a holy brotherhood around Thy throne. Hear 
me through Thv love in Jesus. Thv Sen. Amen. 



L^* 



*%mm^ 



■fa- 






? 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 261 



■a 



CHRIST M A S D A Y. 




: 13, 14. — 2£twi etiddcrdg there vras utrth the 

amjel a nmltituile of the keartrenlg bust praising: 
GntL and eagbtg, &lttrg to &od in the highest, 

anil mr earth peaee. good trill tmranl men. 



-\JOW beautiful is this emblem of the interest of 
heaven in the affairs of earth; what an expres- 
sion of that love which binds the moral universe 
together, as attraction the material ! 

If "the morning* stars sang together, and all 
the sons of God shonted for joy," at the creation, 
how much more should praise be given, that now the 
moral wreck and chaos were about to be restored to order, 
and men to become new creatures! Or, if "there is joy 
in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner 
that repenteth," how much livelier the jnbilee when the 
Bavioux was born, to call sinners to repentance, and recon- 
cile the world to God ! How rapturous must have been 
the thanksgivings to Him who is the original and un- 
created Source of all good, mercy and truth ; and who so 
loved the world that He sent His Son to save it ! 

The angels sang praises to God for the Messenger He 
was now sending to bless the world. Worship is one of 



en 



W 



a- 



262 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



~f 



the highest acts of man or angel ; and an intimation, as it 
were, is given here that, under the new dispensation, 
idolatry was to come to an end, and glory and honour 
supreme to be given to whom alone they are due. Nor in 
vain. Earth is slowly preparing to echo back, one day, 
from all her green shores, and with the deep tone of her 
millions, the heavenly psean, — Glory to God in the highest! 

" And on earth peace. " Jesus was to be the Prince of 
Peace. It was one of his loftiest titles. Peace on earth, 
which has, heretofore, been such a Golgotha, might seem 
Utopian indeed, unless we consider the power of him who 
came to reign in human hearts and lives, and to bring 
every thought into captivity to himself. Pilled with peace 
himself, he came to \ breathe it through all souls, quelling 
ambition, and anger, and revenge. He produces peace 
in the inner man, by harmonizing all the passions and 
appetites under the sway of conscience and reason, the 
voices of God ; peace in the world by the love of man 
to man, and universal equity; peace and reconciliation 
towards God, by the revelation of His mercy to the 
penitent offender, and His wise purposes in our trials and 
sorrows. 

" Goodwill towards men." From God to man, and 
from man to man. More than peace, there was to be 
benevolence, positive kindness, sympathy, and relief. Man 
was to mete out to others that love which God meted out 
to him. The Saviour went about doing good, and he calls 
all his followers to engage in the offices of philanthropy. 
His religion has been eminently a religion of benevolence, 
even in its past imperfect manifestations. It has founded 
hospitals and schools, and missions and ministries to the 
poor and lost. It has crossed the bounds of country and 



m- 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 263 



■a 



colour, and scattered the best gifts of time and eternity 
over dark and oppressed lands. But the angelic triad, — 
Piety, Peace, and Benevolence, — has but just begun to 
take effect. What happiness and glory, then, may we 
not expect from its future and hastening consummation ! 



O lovely voices of tlie sky, 

That hymned the Saviour's birth ! 
Are ye not singing still on high, 
Ye that sang "Peace on earth!" 
To us yet speak the strains 

"Wherewith, in days gone by, 
Ye hless'd the Syrian swains, 
voices of the sky ! 

clear, and shining light, whose beams 

That hour heaven's glory shed 
Around the palms, and o'er the streams, 
And on the shepherd's head ! 
Be near through life and death. 

As in that holiest night 
Of hope, and joy, and faith, 
clear and shining light ! 

star which led to him, whose love 

Brought hope and mercy free ! 
Where art Thou? Mid the host above 
May we still gaze on thee ? 
In heaven thou art not set. 

Thy rays earth might not dim ; 
Send them to guide us yet, 
O star which led to him ! 



<&- — B 1 



e& 



264 



P ARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



■a 



PRAYER 



! Thou infinite and eternal Mind ; — Father of the 
spirits of all that live, — God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; — Thee I adore. To Thee, supreme eternal One, 
"Who hast made us in Thine own image, and Who didst 
send thy holy child Jesus that he might be to us a Prince 
and a Saviour; — to Thee, who by him art calling us to 
glory and virtue and immortality with Thyself ; — to Thee 
I look up with the deepest awe, the profoundest venera- 
tion, and the tenderest love. On this blessed morning I 
would unite my heart and voice with all I love, vrith the 
whole Christian church who are celebrating the birthday 
of Thy hoh- Son, our Saviour, and join my grateful 
ascriptions with theirs for him. Thy most precious, Thy 
unspeakable gift. Father of our immortal natures ! as 
Jesus was emphatically Thy child, by the full measure 
that was in him of Thy holy spirit, help me, I pray Thee, 
that I may also be Thy child, by my large and ever grow- 
ing possession of that same spirit. ! help me to live 
under that constant sense of my relation to Thee, which 
will be to me a perpetual security against every thought 
and feeling inconsistent with the principles and spirit of 
the children of God. I would ask for no power, except 
the power to overcome every temptation and to do all Thy 
holy will. I would be anxious for no possession, but that 
of a conscience void of offence toward Thee and man. I 
would seek for no honour, except the honour of standing 
approved in Thy sight; and I would hope for no happi- 
, but that of serving and obeying Thee now and for 



££- 



-a 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 265 




■a 



ever. Father ! may Thy will be done in me, with me, 
and by me, in all things, as it is done in Heaven ; may 
the life which I live in the flesh continually be by faith in 
him, that well-beloved Son, in whom Thou wast well 
pleased, — who died to redeem us from all iniquity, and 
who lives our Mediator, our undying friend, with Thyself 
in everlasting glory. Through Thy mercy in him forgive 
us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against 
us ; and being born again by the power of Thy word 
within us, — of that truth which liveth and abideth for 
ever, may we all so pass through the trials of earth and 
time that when he, Thy holy child Jesus, once on earth an 
infant, shall appear as our final judge, we may appear 
with him in the number of the redeemed, and the sharers 
of his blessedness. And to Thee, his Father and our 
Father, his God and our God, shall be the praise and the 
adoration, and the thanksgiving for ever. Amen. 



tg- jgi 



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266 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



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GOOD FRIDAY. 




Xtxim xiv. t 30. — It is finished. 



HE great work of man's redemption was accom- 
plished ; the Saviour of men had finished the 
work which was given him to do ! 

Holy men of old had desired to see this day, 
but were not able. Moses and the prophets had 
told of it, and had blended with their prophetic 
announcements of the Messiah's power and glory words, 
to many hearts, perhaps even to their own, dark and 
mysterious, which declared his humiliation and death. 
Jesus had fulfilled "in all the Scriptures the things con- 
cerning himself;" — he knew that " the Christ must suffer, 
to enter into his glory." 

The beloved Son of God had delivered the whole 
message of his Father to mankind ; and as he had been 
sent into the world, even so had he also sent into the 
world them whom the Father had given him. He who 
was " the Way, the Truth, and the Life," had led them to 
the Father ; he had filled their once-beclouded souls with 
the clear and certain conviction that he came forth from 
God, and had given them all the words of eternal life to 
carry to mankind. The message of love and mercy was 



completed. 



<Q 



J 



GOOD FRIDAY. 267 



-a 



All his labours were accomplished. He had worked 
the works of Him who sent him while it was day ; he had 
done not his own will, but the will of his Father ; he had 
shrunk from no difficulty, avoided no peril; he had not 
called legions of angels to his aid, though he knew that 
they would instantly have attended his summons ; but he 
had relied on the strength afforded by the consciousness of 
his Father's presence, and had lived after the power of an 
eternal life. The night had now come when all must be 
finished, and he slept in death to awake in glory. 

His sufferings were over! He had chosen a life of 
privation and trial; " houseless, sole, forlorn," he had 
not even where to lay his head; the desert and the 
mountain had been his places of rest ; he had proved all 
that humanity most shrinks from ; his bodily sufferings, 
in themselves most agonizing, had been increased tenfold 
by the mental distress occasioned by the desertion of his 
followers, the wilful rejection of the chosen people, the 
aggravating insults of his persecutors, and the knowledge 
of the calamities which their sins would bring on his 
beloved nation. He had prayed that the cup might 
pass from him; it had not been removed, but he was 
strengthened to drink it. Can we stand by his cross and 
look on him who was pierced, — can we behold sufferings, 
the mere contemplation of which drew from his holy brow 
large drops of mortal sweat like as of blood, — without 
admiring thankfulness that they were borne by a Son of 
Man with the meek prayer, " Father, forgive them, for 
they know not what they do I" — that by him suffering has 
been hallowed, and that he has taught us that pain and 
sorrow are marks of the Father's love, since they were 
appointed for the best-beloved? Can we withhold from 



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268 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



~% 



him our warmest love and gratitude, that he willingly 
endured suffering, shame, and death, that by his stripes 
we might be healed — that he, "the holy one and the 
just," laid down his life for the guilty and wandering, 
that he might bring them back to the ways of righteous- 
ness, and raise many sons to glory ? 

His Father did not forsake him in those hours of 
mortal anguish; as He had borne witness to his filial 
obedience in life, so did He in death. The deep gloom of 
a supernatural darkness shrouded the struggles of expir- 
ing nature ; — the shivering of rocks, the quaking of the 
earth, and the rending of the veil of the Holy of Holies, 
announced the awful moment when all was finished. But 
Jesus conquered death ; soon was he to be " declared the 
Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead," 
and exalted to the right hand of his Father's throne to 
dwell for evermore. 



Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Faint and bleeding, who is he ? 
By the cheek so pale and woru. 
By the crown of twisted thorn, 
By the side so deeply pierced, 
By the baffled, burning thirst, 
By the drooping, death-dewed brow, 
Son of Man ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Dread and awful, who is he? 
By the sun at noon- day pale, 
Shivering rocks, and rending veil, 
By earth that trembles at his doom, 
By the saints who burst their tomb, 
Low before thee, Lord, we bow ; 
Son of God! lis thou! 'tis thou! 



"B- 



-a 



GOOD FRIDAY. 269 



-a 



Bound upon the accursed tree, 

Sad and dying, who is he? 

By the last and bitter cry, 

The life hreathed out in agony; 

By the lifeless body laid 

In the chamber of the dead ; 

Crucified! we know thee now! 

Son of Man! 'tis thou! 'tis thou! 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Dread and awful, who is he ? 
By the prayer for them that slew, 
"Lord, they know not what they do; 
By the sealed and guarded cave ; 
By the spoiled and empty grave ; 
By that, clear, immortal brow, 
Son of God ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 



PEAYEE. 

Blessed be Thy name ! ! Thou God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in all spiritual 
blessings in him. When stricken by the upbraiding of 
our consciences, and afraid of Thy presence, we feel the 
inestimable privilege of possessing a Mediator, who can be 
touched with a feeling of our infirmities ; and we cling, 
with heartfelt gratitude, to Thy offers of pardon, which he 
hath sealed to us on the cross. Herein indeed is love, not 
that we loved Thee, but that Thou didst love us, and didsl 
send Thy Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ! may 
I be the friend of him who shewed such love in dying for 



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270 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



-ft 



me, by laying down my life daily for the welfare of my 
brethren. May I die to every sin and every vain desire, 
and henceforth devote myself wholly to Thy service and 
glory. And as Christ was raised from the dead by Thy 
mighty power, so may Thy Spirit raise me to newness of 
life, that I may henceforward run the heavenly race with 
full purpose of soul. Guide me, I entreat Thee; guard 
and protect me ; strengthen and support me ; enlighten 
and teach me; pardon and correct me; and lead me, 
daily, hourly, nearer unto the eternal kingdom of Thy 
Son. Amen. 



I E-*- 



EASTER SUNDAY. 2 i 1 



-a 



EASTEB SUNDAY. 



Kuui. tri., 4. — That tto as Christ u~as raised up fram 
the dead bg the ylrinj: of the leather, ecen so ire 
also .shuukl iralk in iretxrttess nf life. 







I pHEX the first Christians assembled together 
they welcomed each other with this salutation, — 
" The Lord is risen, he is risen indeed ! ,J He is 
become the first fruits of them that sleep ; he, 
first of all the sons of Adam, has conquered 
death, and inherited the promised blessing of 
eternal life. Can it be any matter of astonishment that 
those who were the witnesses of this mighty event, who 
knew that it set the seal of certainty on their own glorious 
destiny, should make it the continual and earnest theme of 
their preaching and writing ? Is it not more a subject for 
wonder that so momentous an occurrence, that a day which 
is the birthday of the Christian's hope, should be passed 
over, as it so often is, with but faint emotions of gratitude, 
with but feeble accents of praise ? 

But here the Apostle awakens in us, if possible, still 
higher thoughts ; he kindles in our souls the imaginings 
of the glory of Him who hath been, is, and is to come, of 
Himself, alone, — of Him who filloth immensity with His 



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272 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



presence, yet hath, deigned to breathe into man the breath 
of life : and then the Apostle tells us that this glory was 
exerted in raising to immortal life him who was the bright 
effulgence of eternal blessedness, — him who was called by 
the Father of all His well-beloved Son. These few words 
alone fill the sonl with thoughts which strive to expand 
beyond the confines of this earthly tenement. 

Yet even this is not all ; the Apostle does not stop here. 
He has so often assured us, and proved by the clearest 
reasoning, that the resurrection of Christ, our elder brother, 
is a pledge and promise of our own, — that the mention of 
the one recalls, unbidden, the blessed hope of the other ; 
now he adds another consideration. Our death unto sin 
and life unto holiness here below should be in strict con- 
formity with that death and resurrection of our Saviour 
which is the pledge of our own. We are spiritually 
baptized unto his death, we must even be thus buried with 
him, " that like as he was raised up from the dead by the 
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- 
ness of life." And if our walking in newness of life can, 
in any manner, be compared to the resurrection of our 
Saviour, what an idea does it give us of the greatness, the 
surpassing importance of the change ! His body had lost 
all consciousness ; in the grave there is no remembrance. 
We are dead in trespasses and sin ; we live not, for life is 
to be with God, and we have alienated ourselves from Him 
by wicked works. To these we must die before we can 
live. But the early morning ray shone upon him from his 
Father's glory, and he rose to inherit it : — the emanations 
from that glory, reflected from our Saviour, fall on our 
souls to awaken us to walk in that newness of life which 
is a foretaste of etornitv. 



<B- 



-d 



EASTER SUNDAY. U/b 



ft 



Shall such a summons be sent to us in vain ? Shall 
such light find no entrance into our souls ? Shall the 
stone be rolled away, and we remain in the tomb ? 



Chuist, the Lord, is risen to-day, 
Sons of men and angels say ! 
Raise your songs and triumphs high: 
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply! 

Love's redeeming work is done; 
Fought the fight, the hattle won : 
Lo ! our sun's eclipse is o'er ! 
Lo ! he sets in blood no more ! 

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; 
Christ hath hurst the gates of hell : 
Death in vain forbids his rise ; 
Christ hath opened Paradise. 

Lives again our glorious king : 
Where, O death, is now thy sting ? 
Made like him, like him we rise; 
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies ! 

Glorious bond of earth and heaven ! 
Praise to thee by both be given ! 
Thee we greet triumphant now: 
Hail! the Resurrection, thou! 



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PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



rn 



P E A Y E E. 



! blessed Father, I thank Tliee from the depths of 
my soul, and with the warmest gratitude of my heart, that 
on this glorious morning Thou didst call from the grave 
Thy well-beloved Son, never more to see corruption. Now 
is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of 
them that sleep : — since by man came death, by man came 
also the resurrection from the dead. ! Father, how can I 
sufficiently praise Thee for this certain hope — this unspeak- 
able gift ? The loved ones that Thou hast given me are 
parted from me by the grave, — all is marked for death 
around me, — my own day of life hurries fast away, — the 
seal of mortality would be set on all, my spirit would sink 
under the weight of its sorrow, and I should remain weej)- 
ing by the tomb of my hopes, unable even to know the 
voice of my Saviour ! But the angel of Thy mercy has 
rolled away the stone ; — the Lord is risen, — he is risen 
indeed: — he has shown himself still the same tender 
iriend, the same kind Master, the same loving Saviour, 
though he has put off the garment of mortality ; — he is 
ascended unto his Father and our Father, — unto his God, 
and our God. Death is now swallowed up of life ! All 
live unto Thee, ! Father. The veil which hid from us 
Thy presence hath been rent by him! All around me is 
no longer sealed by death, — but by life ! ! Father, let 



1 



£ 



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EASTER SUNDAY. 



■a 



me live ever as unto Thee ! Let the things of sense have 
no more dominion over me ! And let the loved ones 
whom Thou hast removed from earth to Thine own imme- 
diate presence, be Thy ministering angels to watch over 
me, and lead me on to Thee ! Open more clearly to my 
spiritual sight, I pray Thee, those heavenly mansions in 
the Father's house which he is gone to prepare for us, and 
there with him may we be for ever with Thee, ! Father. 
Amen. 



&g$®5$8$ftmsi£i 



-y^^ve. 3 



tQ- 



-5 



276 PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



ASCEXSIOX DAY. 



£uke xxitr., 51. — S-nd it earae ta pass, ttrhile he blessed 
them, he teas parted fvmxx them, and carried ttp 
inta hearen. 





jj HEIR friend and Master had lived among them 
'^ blessing them, — and now he was taken from 
v£) them, he departed blessing them. How holy, 
how soothing to their sorrowing spirits, was this 
last intercourse which the first disciples had with 
their Saviour on earth! How unspeakably great 
was the blessing which then descended upon them ! Their 
souls must have been raised, in exalted contemplation, to 
the eternal world, which was now receiving one who had 
dwelt among them as a man of sorrows ; his dying words 
would give them the blissful assurance that where he was 
then going, his followers should be, for that he was pre- 
ceding them to prepare a place for them ; and his last 
earthly words were a blessing. For a time the blank 
must have been great to them when they saw him no 
more ; yet was his very removal in wisdom and love. 
Their heavenly Father had received him to Himself, that 
by lifting him up He might draw their hearts to Him ; He 
withdrew from them the light for a little while that they 
might, after a season, enjoy it in brightness inexpressible. 

h a 



cfl Eh 

ASCENSION DAY. 2 | i 



And how did they receive this last blessing of their Lord ? 
They continued with one accord in prayer to God until He 
had revealed His will to them ; thus they went forth, 
armed with a spirit of love and zeal, to work the work of 
their great Master ; and they were supported by the power 
of his resurrection and ascension to discharge the most 
difficult duties, to shrink from no danger or difficulty. 

Sometimes we too, his humble followers, who love a 
Lord we have not seen, are favoured with seasons of 
blessed intercourse with him and with our Heavenly 
Father. TVe appear to be in their immediate presence, 
and, like St. Paul, hear and see things of which no human 
tongue can tell. It seems good for us to be there, and 
fain would we build tabernacles on the Holy Mount, for a 
bright cloud overshadows us, and the fashion of our souls 
has been so changed by prayer that we have not feared to 
enter into it. But soon, while our holy delight is the 
greatest, when our Saviour seems coming to establish his 
kingdom in our souls, even then he is parted from us, and 
we are obliged to return to the things of earth again. 
Yet, though we appear to have lost him entirely from our 
sight, he departed blessing, and to bless us : and if we 
go on our way rejoicing, heavenly visitants Tvill give us 
the assurance in our hearts, that, in like manner as he 
departed, he will come again. 

As the Saviour was parted from his followers and 
friends, and was received by his Father into His more 
immediate presence, so doth our God often now remove 
from among us those whom we love, — those who have 
been our guides and supporters in this earthly pilgrimage ; 
but He parts them from us while blessing us. They have 
been our comforters, they have led us in the road heaven- 



ifl— ff 



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9*7fJ 



PAETICULAE OCCASIONS. 



a 



ward ; and, though now we see them no more, they con- 
tinue to bless us, for their holy influence rests with us, 
and guides us in our earthly pilgrimage. God, too, is 
blessing us, perhaps we know not how ; but we know that 
what now seemeth dark to us will be bright in that world 
where sorrow and sighing will be done away. Let us 
then, when, like the early followers of Christ, a friend and 
master is taken from us, be continually in the Temple of 
God's presence praising and blessing Him ; and, from that 
holy communion with the Father of Spirits, we shall find 
strength to go on our way even rejoicing. 



See our risen Lord ascending 
To behold his Father's face; 

All his earthly sorrows ending. 
Full of peace and love and grace ; 

Hallelujah ! 
Ever blessed be the Lord ! 

Ye. liis followers, upward gazing 
Till his brightness dims your sight. 

Upward still your spirits raising, 
Dwell with him in heavenly light; 

Hallelujah ! 
Joy, ye followers of the Lord ! 



t 



Soon ye shall be with him ever; 

Bere his spirit is your guide; 
Nought your faith from him shali sever: 

Nought the love of God shall hide. 
Hallelujah! 

I'.l. -t the pres< oce of the Lord. 



<P~ — ^ra 

ASCENSION DAY. 2/9 



Christians ! still with patience striving 

To obey the Lord ye love, 
Soon your glorious morn arriving, 

Ye shall dwell with him above ; 
Hallelujah ! 

Christians, haste to meet your Lord ! 



PEAYEE. 

Our Father, Thou hast taken Thy Son Jesus unto 
Thyself, and Thou hast bid us trust that there are many 
mansions prepared for all who love his appearing. ! 
may the hope of heaven encourage me to every duty, and 
strengthen me to meet every trial. May the light from 
that better country cheer all the dark scenes of time. Hay 
I see Thy hand in every event, set Thee, the Lord, always 
before me, and be in Thy fear all my days. When I am 
allured by temptation, may I remember that Thou, who 
art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and who art our 
Judge, seest me. In the hours of solitude may I consider 
that I am not alone ; that Thou, my Father and my God, 
art with me. Through every moment of this day may 
Thy precepts guide me, Thy fear control me, Thy love 
fill me with joy, and thy providence be my refuge and my 
trust. Through every day may I be with Thee, and when 
heart and flesh shall fail me, be Thou, God, the strength 
of my heart, and my portion for ever, in that world where 
Thy presence will create fulness of joy, and pleasures for 
evermore, to all who shall obtain Thy mercy unto eternal 
life, Thy gift in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. 
Amen. 

4 & 



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280 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



ft 



THE SAVIOUE'S PEOMISE. 



Marttteur xxtriii, 20.— Lxx f I am with ytxu alwaij, 
wen tmta the mxA txt tto world. 




!/OW supporting and encouraging a promise to 
that little band of chosen followers, who had 
assembled, their number diminished by one sad 
defection, on the distant mountain which their 
Master had appointed them, to hear his parting 
injunctions ! These were not now his dying words, 
— he had passed from death unto life, and now would for 
ever live in the glory of his Father. 

And is not this promise to us also, — to us who are 
some of those "other sheep" who are not of this earthly 
fold; — to us who have believed on the Saviour, through 
the word of his Apostles, and for whom he prayed that we 
might be one in him and in the Father. A deep gulf of 
time is between us and the sacred moment, when, on the 
hallowed mount, our beloved Master gave that promise to 
his disciples, and, with his now beatified body, sanctified 
the spot. Yet, through the abundant goodness of our 
Heavenly Father, who, in ways so marvellous, has pre- 
served for us the record of that holy revelation, and made 
it now accessible to every heart, — we, of this remote clime, 



■8- 



281 



and in this distant period, hear the blessed words as if 
they were sounded in our ears, and see with the spiritual 
eye the benignant form of the Son of God as he uttered 
them, — that form so full of grace and truth, so meek and 
lowly, yet so great and glorious. 

Yes, beloved Saviour, often have I felt thy promise 
brought home to my heart, when, having entered into my 
I nset . I shut the door, I have prayed to my Father who 
is in secret, and felt that thou wast leading me to Him. 
But have I, when again in the world, — have I, as I ought, 
made Thee my guide to keep me from the evil that is in 
i : i How often have I neglected the proferred aid, and 
instead of " looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher 
of faith, 7 ' have I followed the dictates of my own head- 
strong will! Then, my Saviour was not with me, for I 
had rejected him ! 

How near is my Saviour to me when I read the records 
of his life; dwelling on each event with humble love, 
listening to his words of heavenly wisdom, imagination 
transports me to the spot, and I almost seem to listen to 
him on the Mount, by the Lake, in the Garden, — he 
appears I nearer to me even than he was to his 

disciples, for they knew far less than we can now do of 
the deep purposes of his soul, his inward struggles, and 
hie sc sref uig risk How privileged then are we, — am I ! 
But have I availed myself of this privilege as I ought? 
Have I listened to his voice of tender correction, "ye 

w not what spirit ye are of," when ruffled by the little 

trials of daily intercourse ? Have I striven to imitate his 

meek endeavour, yet firm and unbending constancy, when 

opposed in efforts of usefulness, or treated with forgetful- 

»8 by those whom I have made many 



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PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



sacrifices to serve ? Have I sunk under pain, sorrow, or 
anxiety, and forgotten the anguish he voluntarily endured, 
that " through his stripes we might be healed?" may 
I have a more abiding memory of that blessed promise of 
my Saviour to be with us even to the end of the world ! 

Yet chiefly do I feel this promise true, — most intimately 
do I enjoy near communion with my beloved Lord, when I 
unite with my fellow-disciples in celebrating that holy rite, 
by which, through the lapse of ages, all who love him 
have obeyed his parting injunction, "this do in remem- 
brance of me." glorious hour, when we shall break the 
spiritual bread and drink the " new wine" with him in his 
Father's kingdom ! Gathered round his table with me at 
this feast of love, are the dear but absent ones, distant in 
body, present in spirit, — and nearer to me still the beloved 
departed, who have laid aside their mantle of clay, and 
whose spirits appear to be with me still in my pilgrimage, 
— and many spirits of the "just made perfect," whom we 
now seem to see and know better, became they are gone to 
the Father. This earthly love, mingling with that I bear 
to my Saviour, makes both more precious to me, and I 
look forward with more ardent hope to seeing him, with 
these loved ones, face to face, in those heavenly mansions 
in which, if his spiritual presence has been with us during 
our mortal career, we shall enjoy near intercourse with 
him for ever. 



«t~ 



— a 

THE SAVIOUR'S PROMISE. 283 



And is he with thee? question well thy heart, 

If in his promise thou hast claimed thy part; — 

Ample thine heritage as theirs may be, 

Who held the legacy in trust for thee; 

To thee his word, that legacy, is given ; 

The voice they heard on earth, now speaks from heaven ; 

If in thy life he lives his history o'er, 

He blesses thee, as them he blest before. 

Watch! on thy spirit shall arise the star, 
Bright as it shone on days and climes afar; 
Listen ! while angel-voices, clear and sweet, 
<; Glory to God, goodwill to men," repeat; 
Up, then, obedient to the guiding ray, 
Thy soul's best offerings at his feet to lay. 

Or, if on life's chafed ocean, waste and dark, 
Conflicting passions toss thy weary bark, — 
Then let the holy presence, brightly still, 
Serenely walk the wild waves of thy will ; 
Secure thy course on this rough world shall be, 
As theirs who rode with him the midnight sea. 

Sits he not with thee, as with them of yore, 
Breaking the bread he broke for them before? — 
Not now those twelve alone, who called him Lord, — 
Witnessing spirits gather at his board; 
Viewless they press, the awful feast to share; — 
The dead, the absent, all are present there. 

But, say, hast thou denied him? It may be 

In deeds or thoughts, not words? — Then, turned on thee. 

See the deep pity of that mournful glance, 

The majesty throned on the prow's expanse; — 

And the reproof which those mute lips express, 

Shall steep thee in remorseful bitterness. 



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PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



Or doth some guilty shame, some mighty woe, 
O'ershadow all above, and all below; 
Till thou hast lost the will, perhaps the power, 
To seek his presence in that fearful hour? — 
Dark as that hour when night on noontide spread, 
And the earth shuddered with convulsive dread, — 

Hope on, hope on ! there still is light above : 

Be meek in penitence, but strong in love; 

Seek him, though long, perchance, in doubt and fear 

You wander, murmuring " He is not here !"' — 

" He is not here," a soothing voice replies ; 

To yon calm heavens see him calmly rise ! 

Follow with straining eyes his radiant way, 
Thy sins, thy sorrows, shall he bear away; 
Yet, is he with thee! rise, prepare thy breast 
As fits a mansion for such honoured guest ; 
When purged from earthly care and earthly ill, — 
When that is heaven — there he is with thee still! 



PEAYEE. 

Our Father ! blessed art Thou for the promise that 
Thou wilt come, with Thy Son, and take up Thine abode 
in our hearts. For what purpose hast Thou given us life, 
and a knowledge of our dependence on Thee, but that we 
may live in Thy fear, and seek Thy blessing always? 
Give me Thy grace, that I may feel in my inmost heart 
that Thou art indeed my Father ; and may this knowledge 
of my dependence upon Thee be to me ever a fortress of 
protection into which I may escape in the hour of trial 
and despondency, and find peace and safety. ! give me 



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THE SAVIOUR S PROMISE. 28o 



faith, to believe, and pardon my unbelief. Open my eyes, 
even as Thou didst the eyes of the doubting prophet of 
old, that I too may see Thy power and Thy goodness over- 
shadowing and protecting us. Thy armies encamp about 
the habitations of the just. Thou sufferest no evil to 
come nigh, their dwelling. Thy word is pledged to make 
all things work together for good unto them that love and 
fear Thee. Thy gifts are all divine. Treasures of love 
lie hidden in all our hearts. Thy wisdom and Thy good- 
ness are manifest in the sacred relations of life. ! make 
these joint relationships means of grace and strength to 
each of us whom Thou hast thus united. May we all 
grow more and more in Thy likeness, that our home may 
be as a fruitful garden in which all virtues and all graces 
shall abound ; that meekness and gentleness, temperance 
and self-denial, kindness and love, may bring forth all 
their fruits amongst us, and ripen us all for heaven. 
Transform us daily more and more into the image of 
Christ, and may he be with us to guide us to the better 
land. And through him we ascribe unto Thee unceasing 
praises. Amen. 



4- & 



ifr 



286 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



IN CASE OF SEVEEE ILLNESS. 



Matt, xxtri, 29. — © mg Fattor, if it to pnssibls, let 
this cup pass from me; ttBtrsrtb&Less trrrt as I uriU, 
but as Ttrrrtt tirilt. 




j)ELP me, ! my Father, to say from the heart 
" Thy will be done." Whether this sickness be 
unto death or not, still, ! God, let it be for Thy 
glory and for my eternal good. May this disease 
of my body make my soul to be in health and 
prosper. Though my outward man decay and 
perish, may my inward man be renewed day by day, and 
never die, but live for ever. Hast Thou not reduced my 
strength to weakness, that I might lean upon Thee and be 
strong in the Lord ? Hast Thou not taken away the desire 
of mine eyes, that I might desire none but God ? Hast 
Thou not taken away my appetites, that I might the more 
hunger and thirst after righteousness ? 

Yea, Lord, blind and ignorant as I am, I can see some 
of the wisdom and goodness of Thy present dealings with 
me. It is the hand of my Father that guides me in this 
valley of tears. It is good for me that I am Thus afflicted. 
How often and how easily do my thoughts now rise to 
Thee ! Thy character, Thy providence, Thy word, Thy 



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a- 



IN CASE OF SEVERE ILLNESS. 28 



^ 



truth and grace coming by Jesus Christ — what interesting 

o 

and delightful themes of meditation are they now to me ! 

Everv increase of patience and fortitude, of light and of 
hope ; every mitigation of pain ; every sign of returning 
health ; all that nourishes, refreshes and sustains me : all 
remind me of Thy careful presence and awaken mv Gratitude. 

! let not the impressions made by sickness be oblite- 
rated by returning health. Let not the thoughts and reso- 
lutions of adversity be forgotten, if the days of prosperity 
should again be mine. This affliction has already driven 
me a disrelish for the vain pleasures of this world. 
Shouldst Thou restore me, let them not attract and charm 
me again. I now delight to read Thy word, and to com- 
mune with Thee by prayer and meditation ; and shouldst 
Thou once more give me my former strength and vigour 
give me a heart still to rejoice in Thy service. A sense of 
Thy presence now sustains and cheers my spirit ; let not 
Thy healing mercies tempt me to forget Thee. 

If many wearisome days and nights are appointed unto 
me, teach me to suffer Thy will without complaining ! 
that I might be patient, submissive, resigned ; casting my 
care upon Thee ; to Thee committing my cause ; ascribing 
righteousness to Thee, my Maker, even in my greatest 
trials ; trusting in Thy defence ; hoping in Thy mterev. 
And ! may I spend all the time of my sickness which I 
can command in reviewing my life ; in examining mvself 
by the light and precepts of Thy holy word : in exercising 
hearty sorrow and true repentance for my sins ; in cherish- 
ing faith in the Saviour, and pious gratitude for Thy 
goodness and grace. 

And if this sickness is to be my last, ! may Thy Spirit 
so renew, influence, and sanctify me : may my repentance 

* ^3 



a- 



288 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



be so sincere and thorough ; my faith so living and strong ; 
my love to mankind, to my blessed Saviour, and to Thee, 
so pure and affectionate, that Thy mercy in Christ may 
save my soul, and that death may be gain to me. 



When sorrow sinks my spirit down, 

And grief o'erwhelms my troubled mind, 

Faith cries, "Look up to God alone, 
A refuge thou in Him shalt find." 

My soul obeys the sacred word, 

And casts her care upon the Lord. 

What though affliction's shades surround 
My path, yet God is wise and just; 

And oft my fainting soul hath found 
The promise true in which I trust: 

Shall I then doubt His sacred word? 

No ! let me humbly trust the Lord. 

'Tis in the hour of deep distress, 
That we religion's comfort prove ; 

The chastening hand we feel and bless 
Of God, that scourges us in love. 

Though nature sinks beneath the rod, 

Yet faith reposes still in God. 

It is the Lord that strikes the blow; 

Let every murmuring thought be still: 
Oft has He made my cup o'errlow, 

And shall I dare dispute His will? 
For ever be the thought abhorred! 
My soul, still wait thou on the Lord ! 



B- 



IX CASE OF SEVEKE ILLNESS. 289 



Wait till He bid thy sorrows cease, 
Till He thy every care remove; 

And though thy troubles fast increase, 

Thou need'st not doubt thy Father's love : 

Though He delay, yet trust His word; 

For true and faithful is the Lord. 

Yes, Israel's God was never known 
To leave His children in distress ; 

Mercy and truth surround His throne, 
His judgments all are righteousness : 

Still shall my soul this truth accord; 

I will for ever trust the Lord. 



PEAYEE. 

God, by Thy inscrutable providence Thon bast turned 
my bealtb into sickness ; my days of joy and comfort, 
into days of pain and languishing. Tbou bast reduced 
my strength to weakness, and my flesh is wasting away by 
disease. Thou didst create, — Thine is the power to restore 
and heal me. If it please Thee, direct me to the use of 
such means as shall be effectual to my recovery. Yet, not 
my will, but Thine, be done. Father, assist me to bear 
patiently and profitably all the chastisements of Thy hand. 
Save me from murmuring and repining, from despondency 
and gloom. Comfort my troubled heart by a living faith 
in Thee and in Thy Son. Eefresh my fainting spirit with 
heavenly hopes and prospects. Sanctify my trials and 
afflictions to me. So long as I am continued in this feeble 
and dying frame, dispose me to lean on Thee for support. 



--S 1 



a- 



290 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



-a 



Though, ray outward man perish, may my inward man be 
renewed day by day; though sickness press upon my 
body, may my soul be in health and prosper. Prepare 
me for all the sufferings I am yet to endure. Help me to 
exercise that repentance which is unto life ; that faith 
which shall give me the victory over death ; and oh ! 
inspire me with a hope that shall never make me ashamed ! 
While I live, be Thou my strength and confidence ; and 
when I die, receive my departing S23irit; through Jesus 
Christ, my Lord, Amen. 



-*m 







<& 



•ff 



a a 

IN CASE OF DEATH. 291 



IN CASE OF DEATH. 




I Thess. itr., 13- — I would mxt have tjmtbc ignorant, 
brethren, eoocermog; them that arc asleep; that 
ye sorrow not etreo as others ttrfco fraue no 
hope- 



^F our brother sleep in Jesus, he shall do well. He 
resteth from the cares and the toils, the temptations 
and the snares, the disappointments and the 
anxieties, the afflictions and bereavements, which 
in this scene of trial and imperfection, attend even 
those who are in circumstances of outward pros- 
perity. Henceforth, no pain or distress awaiteth him ; no 
racking disease shall wear him ; no failing powers shall 
dispirit him. No more shall he weep for the distresses of 
others which he cannot remove ; no more shall ho grieve 
because his powers will not accomplish that which was in 
his heart for the welfare of his brethren. But we trust 
that he is gone to a better country ; where there shall be 
light without a cloud, and where sorrow and sighing shall 
for ever flee away. He is gone to his home ; the days of 
his pilgrimage and of his mourning have been ended : the 



cy _cp 



[£h~ ■ Eh 

292 PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



gates of deatli have been opened to him ; and while mortals 
cry, " A man is dead," angels shout, " A child is born." 

And would we, for our own sakes, have detained our 
brother in the land of thorns and clouds ? When God was 
willing to take the spirit unto himself, could we have 
wished that it should tarry longer with us, in pain and 
weakness ? Let not such be the selfishness of our hearts. 
Let us " rejoice for our brother deceased; our loss is his 
infinite gain." It was far better that he should depart and 
be with Christ: and, although to stay here may have 
seemed more needful for us, it was only in appearance. It 
may be best for us also that he was taken. The light of 
his earthly course may now aid in shewing us the path to 
glory. The lessons of his death may work life in us. This 
new earnest of the heavenly inheritance, may quicken us 
in our search after it. This new tie to earth that is broken 
may become a new tie to bind us to the heavenly kingdom. 

There is a time for solemn mourning ; and this is such 
a time. Even if the principles of the gospel are in some 
good measure the guide of our conduct and affections, yet 
the feelings of nature are the same, and it is right that we 
should give them place in our hearts. Let us not endeavour 
to smother them, or to check their expression. Let not the 
chilling customs of the world, or false views of delicacy, 
prevent us from dwelling much and seriously on the life 
and death of the departed, both in the communion of our 
own hearts, and in the family circle. Let us allow him to 
live still amongst us in the spirit, though the bodily presence 
is denied us. 



a— — rr-a 



IN CASE OF DEATH. 



If the sorrow of our hearts, and the communing of our 
souls, lead us, with increased earnestness, to seek after the 
peace of Christ, it will indeed be well for us. Beauty will 
spring out of ashes, and life out of the dust. In the midst 
of our affliction we shall rejoice and leap for joy. And we 
shall find that we are not left comfortless, for the Holy 
Spirit of love, and patience, and trust, and faith, will come 
and take up its abode in our hearts. 



Thou art gone to the grave — but we will not deplore thee ; 

Though sorrow and darkness encompass the tomb, 
The Saviour hath passed through its portals before thee, 

And the lamp of his love is thy guide through the gloom. 

Thou art goue to the grave — we no longer behold thee, 
Nor tread the rough path of the world by thy side ; 

But the wide arms of mercy are spread to enfold thee ; 
And sinners may hope, since the sinless hath died. 

Thou art gone to the grave — but 'twere wrong to deplore thee, 
When God was thy Father, thy Guardian, thy Guide ; 

He gave thee, and took thee, and soon will restore thee, 
Where death hath no sting, since the Saviour hatli died. 



eg- ep 



iff 



294 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



ffj 



PEAYEE. 

Holy Father ! without Thy direction, nothing happeneth 
to us in life and death. Out of the depths of affliction and 
sorrow, unto Thee do I lift up my soul ; for my help and 
my hope are in Thee alone. I bless Thee for the life Thou 
hast thus far given us : and now that Thou hast taken our 
loved one to Thyself, I pray that our hearts may go to 
Thee also. Give us all grace so to follow the holy examples 
of those who have departed this life in Thy faith and fear, 
that at length we may, with them, be partakers of Thy 
heavenly kingdom. May we strive to redeem the time that 
has been lost ; and so number our days, that we may apply 
our hearts unto true wisdom. May we spend the remainder 
of our days on earth in the faithful discharge of our duty ; 
and live in such a manner as we shall wish to have done, 
when we come to die. May we glorify Thee on earth, and 
finish the work which Thou has given us to do. And when 
we shall leave this world, may we rest in peace ; and, being 
found acceptable in Thy sight, may we be received into 
Thy heavenly kingdom, with all dear unto us ; through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



x x>iH H.l< K K 



■e- 



-ff 



a- 



FOB THE LAST DAT IX THE TEAS. 



m 



FOE THE LAST DAY IX THE YEAB. 



James ir.. 14. — Wh$A is ymtr life? 

nJ==j/HE winds of the dying year are now sighing 
V\<Ary around us with their departing breath : they 
C-_ ~<^. "^ warn us. in accents ;<: fearful solemnity, to look 
£^v back, before the light of another year shall open 
Cfc^ upon us, and see what improvement has been 
made o£ this. 
Lt: as some to the inquiry honestly: but how few can 
without painful solicitude, for how little reason have 
we to think that impn t Los I Ben our one great object I 

Time rolls on, and the world changes &e if goes. But how 
many, as regards . ~ :r . apj : or to be standing j :o usely 
where th 1 a year ago, or even m rs ago 

J ust as good as th an I d t itter ; no more Aev 

charitable, patient. 01 forgiving; no less worldly, selfish, 
irritable, and slothful. Change has passed over them; 
trial has summoned them to thought ; Providence has 
warned them by a various discipline of gladness and grief: 
but there they stand, unaffected and unimproved. They 
have basked in the light ; they have been refreshed i 
the dews of benignant and perpetual grace : but there is 
visible no spiritual growth, they have ripened no fruits of 
holir 38. 



~ 



fi- 



296 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



■a 



Are we among those who have felt the worth of our 
souls, and have designed to walk in that path of duty 
which shall lead to life ? We have made a certain progress 
in the great work of preparation, — the acquiring a Christian 
character. What have we done respecting it the past year ? 
What additional advances have we made ? Are we better 
acquainted with religion ? Is our life more under the 
control of its laws? Are our dispositions more subjected 
to its spirit ? Do we feel and exhibit a more disinterested 
regard to the welfare of others : and have we become more 
habitually alive to the presence and authority of God ? 

These questions every religious man ought to be able 
to answer in the affirmative. If he cannot, what has he 
been doing ? If no better man, no better Christian, than 
five years or one year ago. to what purpose, and in what 
way, has that time been spent ? 

Happy, thrice karjpy, is he who can look calmly on this 
solemn hour and, while Time pauses on his way, can 
survey his character and history without a blush or a sigh ! 
Happy that religious man who knows that he is more holy 
since the year began, and can hear, without trembling, the 
wings of the messenger as they sweep by him, bearing up 
to God the unchanging register of the finished season ! 
He may hope to meet serenely the last hour of life. He 
may have peace when his eyes shall close on the last sun 
of his earthly existence. But if, careless and unprofitable 
Christian ! your conscience reproach you for the misspent 
time and wasted opportunities of this one year : if you look, 
with shame and agitation, at the empty record which it 
now gives in to judgment, ! how will you bear the 
arrival of that day when all the books shall be opened, 
and time shall be no more? Awake! Arouse yourself! 



[ H- 



■EP 



[J3 -R] 

FOE, THE LAST DAY IX THE YEAR. 297 



Let it be enough, that one barren year has past ! Rouse 
yourself to diligence and duty ! It may be that the fruitless 
tree Trill be spared one year longer. Awake ! Be sober 
and watch, unto prayer. Redeem the time that has been 
lost. Forget the things that are behind, and reach forth 
unto those that are before. 



The year hath passed away 

Swift as the gliding stream, 
And all its scenes appear 
Like relics of a dream ! 
Spent are its griefs, its joys are flown, 
And memory holds their trace alone. 

Frail fleeting life ! how soon 

May thy probation close, 
And they who prize thee most 
In the still grave repose ! 
Thy joys are brief, — they cannot last, 
And change comes o'er thy seasons fast. 

Then pause, my soul, and trace 

Time's progress and thine own ; 
Shall earth thy cares engage 
When better things are known ? 
! fix thy love on heavenly bliss ; 
All other good shall fail but this. 

Yes ! let thy zeal be strong 

Life's purpose to fulfil, 
And work, with all thy power. 
Thy righteous Father's will: 
So shall thy deeds be truly blest. 
And death conduct to endless i 

<6 ^ 



a- 



29« 



PARTTCULAB OCCASION 



PEAYEE. 

Hjtherto Tliou. Father, liast blest me and mine. 
Through how many trials, through what varied difficulties, 
hast Thou sustained us ! What cause have we for grati- 
tude, for mercies continued and renewed to us, and for the 
many unexpected blessings of the year past ! Father, 
Thou hast overwhelmed us with Thy favours. Thou hast 
given us as much joy as we would open our hearts to feel. 
Thou has: blest us with the means of holiness and the hope 
of glory. With humbling, contrite sorrow, we would call 
to mind the sins and errors of our hearts. Of thine infinite 
mercy pardon the neglects and transgressions of the past 
year, and of our past lives : and give us grace to watch and 
strive against them for the time to come. "We desire to 
begin the year with Thee. ! may it be spent faithfully 
in Thy fear. We would afresh commit ourselves to Thy 
care, and devote ourselves to Thy service. And may we 
be wiser and better, more useful to others, more faithful to 
Thee, more influenced by Thy Spirit, more devoted to Thy 
service, and more meet for that world where days and years 
shall be unknown, and time shall be no more. I ask all 
through Jesus Christ, our ever blessed Mediator and 
Redeemer. Amen. 




■a- 



cH -ft 

THE LIVING TEMPLE. 299 



THE LIVING TEMPLE. 



I Ear. m., 16. — &xtA tto TempU txt G-txH is hnhj r 
xvhith Tsmpto ija ars. 

r GLOEIOUS temple is it, this temple of the living 
^j£/\y^ God, the earthly abode where He who filleth 
heaven and earth deigns to make manifest His 
spirit, — where in the Holy of Holies, He dwells ! 
This temple stands on a hill; — it cannot be 
hid ; — gloriously does its golden roof, which no 
unclean thing must light upon, reflect the brightness of 
the rising sun ; — pure, white and glistening are its stones 
when struck by heaven's rays. Earth's costliest treasures 
all are gathered in rich profusion to frame this temple ; 
nowhere can be seen the precious metals in such lavish 
abundance ; — no marble blocks of such gigantic size have 
been carried elsewhere, with such patient laborious toil. 
Lebanon's snows have not protected her cedars ; — their 
sky-pointing tops have been levelled, their huge trunks 
have been laid low, and the waves have borne them 
towards the holy mount, that their fragrant wood may be 
consecrated in the temple of God. 

Even the very earth on which it stands is holy : for 
there was offered of old the most devoted sacrifice that man 
could give ; — there the father returned to the Giver the 



# 



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300 



PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



-fjj 



child of many prayers, the son of his old age, the heir of 
promise ; — there did Isaac lie in meek submission, in all 
his living strength, on his funeral pile; — there did the 
angel declare, that "in the mountain Jehovah had pro- 
vided," — that the sacrifice was accepted, — that his son 
was restored. 

Let us enter the temple. No unholy thing must be 
there. No money-changers must there make their offerings 
to Mammon, and turn the house of God into a den of thieves. 
There must be no plaintive bleating of tethered lambs, no 
angry bellowing of tortured oxen bound for sacrifice ; — no 
sordid bargainings of avaricious dealers here. Take these 
things hence ; — nought that wears not the impress of the 
divine spirit shall be here ; but the lowliest, the humblest, 
the scorned, the degraded, the publican, the sinner, even 
the uncircumcised gentile, the doubting Greek, may wander 
midst the solemn porticos, to shut out the world, and 
yield themselves to the holy influence of the spirit of God 
which dwelleth in the temple. They may remain apart, 
lonely in a multitude, smiting on their breast ; or they may 
stand in reverence beholding the smoke rise from the altar 
of incense ; or they may come and listen to the Saviour, 
and ask from him living waters, or perchance hear the 
voice speaking to him from heaven, the angel-message, 
which to those far from him is only distant thunder. 

But now hence to the inner sanctuary, to the court of 
the holy priesthood, which none may enter but those who 
have consecrated their hearts to the Lord. Let us then 
first pour our best gifts into the Treasury. No earthly 
offerings must be here ; no worthless gold and silver, while 
the treasures of the heart are withheld ; no tithes of mint, 
and anise, and cummin, to make up for the scanty measure 



«& 



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a- 



THE LIVING TEMPLE. 301 



^ 



of the weightier matters of the law ; no jewels bright and 
shining without, heartless and stony within. Not these ! 
"We must offer to Him who hath given all we have even our 
ivhole living; — the holocaust of the poorest heart is costly 
in His sight. Gladly will we bring to consecrate to Him, 
and throw into His treasury, every gift which he has given 
us, all the talents, few or many, which He has entrusted 
to us ; — every thought, every desire, every affection, ever}' 
power, shall be His, and He shall bid us use them for 
whatever pleaseth Him. 

Now the consecrated may go within ; they may enter 
the Court of the Priests of Jehovah. There they may sing 
with joy His praises, and talk of His wondrous works to 
the children of men. There they may serve Him day and 
night, rejoicing to do His will. Thence shall arise the 
fragrant odours from the altar of incense, diffusing their 
holy perfumes far around ; and there the accepted sacrifice 
of a broken heart and a contrite spirit shall be offered in 
lowly adoration, and beheld with reverence by the multi- 
tudes without. Truly, Lord! as the Hallels ascend to 
heaven, do we exclaim in rapture, " A clay in thy courts is 
better than a thousand.'' Blessed are the hours which the 
soul spends in those courts of its living temple, to provide 
itself with heavenly weapons for the warfare of the world 
without, — the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, the 
whole armour of God, consecrated to His service. 

But there is beyond a Holy Place where none but the 
priests of God themselves may enter. Blessed are they 
who depart not from the temple day or night ; who here 
can come in holy communion before the Lord, with nought 
to distract their spirits, and where every object tells of 
Jehovah's marvellous dealings with the children of men. 



tfr 



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rr*- 



302 



::;"lat; occasions 



^ 



My soul! thou canst not be always here : but into this part 
of His living temple mays: thou often come, t: gather 
strength for the struggles of life : for here thou wilt hold 
communion with those only whose souls hare been eonse- 
crated to the Lord. — these who once jourueyel wi:h thee, 
but now are gene, but whose spirits abide with Thee ever: 
those whom thou hast not known on earth, but wh:> have 
left the inspiration of their spirit in their living words, 
which a«es shall treasure till time shall be no more : — 
those -till travelling with Thee onwards ! 

Yet there is a place still more sacred : — The Holy of 
Holies. There is a thick veil before it. and no one must 
go within but the High Priest alone : it is the soul only 
that can enter that holiest part of its tabernacle, where the 
glorious Shekinah of God's immediate presence is beheld 
with mortal eyes, and frit in actual existence. It is the 
Mercy-seat alone that is there, and the Saviour has brought 
us to it. No longer but once a year, on a great day of 
expiation, may it be approached. No longer is it the 
awful Jehovah, whom none may behold and live, that nils 
the Holy of Holies : but the Father of the Spirit, in whose 
1 lessed presence the soul delights to dwell, drily, hourly. 
with fdial reverence, but in all the nearness of love. There 
only does the soul exist ; there only is it no longer separated 
from life. 

I rious is this early temple of the living Go J, the 
.: and Life of the universe. But this tabernacle must 
be dissolved. Then, in the heavenly Jerusalem, shall the 
f'roed spirit rind its fit dwelling-place. There-, is no need 
of a temple: for the Lord God Almighty an bomb 

there receive in full communion the spirits blessed, 

and are the eternal Light an 1 Li: c I it 



f& 



~ 



cEb — HJ 

THE LIVING TEMPLE. 303 



P E A Y E E . 

God ! Thou spirit of our secret life, apart from whom 
our nature faints ! weary of ourselves, we come to Thy 
shelter. Our span of troubled days we bring within Thy 
calm eternity, — over our path of pilgrimage we feel the 
spaces of Thine immensity, — on the dimness of our pure 
desires we seek the glow of Thy paternal smile, — in the 
strife of sin and the sadness of mortality, we find a spirit of 
power and of hope in the memory of Thy holy providence. 

Infinite Euler of Creation, whose spirit dwells in every 
world ! we look not to the solemn heavens for Thee, though 
Thou art there, — we search not in the ocean for Thy pre- 
sence, though it murmurs with Thy voice, — we wait not 
for the wings of the wind to bring Thee nigh, though they 
are Thy messengers, — for Thou art in our hearts, ! God, 
and makest Thy abode in the deep places of our thought 
and love, — and into each gentle affection, each contrite 
sorrow, each noble aspiration, — we would retire to meet 
and worship Thee. Lord of our living conscience, who 
speakest to us in the secret voice of dut} T , and pleadest with 
us in the grief of sin, Thy creatures that know Thee not 
have more truly served Thee than our conscious minds ; 
and while seasons and waves obey Thy word, our vacillating 
desires forget to finish Thy work, our restless passions keep 
not the order of Thy will. ! God, Thou knowest the 
soul within us, that it is not built up as an immortal 
sanctuary for Thy praise; but is a wreck of broken pur- 
poses, and fallen aspirations, and desecrated affections. 
Fountain of purity and peace! shed on us the influence of 

Eg „_g] 



f 



>04 PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 




■a 



a new hope and holier sympathies ; refresh our dry souls 
with the dews of a true penitence. ! that our strength 
might fail, and our wills be deluded no more, when we 
strive against the weight of indolence, the seductions of 
self-love, and the weakness of a desponding mind. 

! Father, who dost bless us always even in our griefs, 
and love us even in our sins, from the spirit of Jesus the 
crucified, whose cry went up unto Thee, from his meek 
triumph, his passage to immortal rest, we would learn to 
trust Thee, and look up amid the sadness of Thy Providence. 
! may our human sympathies be more and more followers 
of Thee as dear children, and spread, like Thy tranquil 
presence, wherever suffering is laid low, or the sigh of the 
oppressed is heard, or remorse retires to weep. May we 
sanctify ourselves, and imitate Thee by blessing others. 
Before the breath of a divine love within us may the cloud 
of anxiety and the storm of fretful passions be swept away. 
Beneath the light of Thy peace may even the valley of the 
shadow of death be to our feet as the green pastures and 
the still waters. And when we pass into that land which 
no eye hath seen, may we be of ready heart to meet our 
forerunners there, and bless Thee that the days of sorrow 
and temptation are finished. Amen. 



H3— — ff 



cfr 



--& 



f 



OETICAL 



Med 



I TAT IONS- 



t& 



W 



r 



a 







YSTERIOUS Night! when our first parent knew 
\X Thee from report divine, and beard thy name, 
/£~yt) Did he not tremble for this lovely frame, 



:5 *? > This glorious canopy of light and blue ? 



W 



Yet 'neath a curtain of translucent dew. 

Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame, 

Hesperus with the host of heaven came, 
And lo ! creation widened in man's view. 
Who could have thought such darkness lay conceaTd 

Within thy beams. Sun? or who could find, 
Whilst fly. and leaf, and insect stood reveai'd, 

That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind? 
Why do we then shun Death with anxious strife ? 
If Light can thus deceive, wherefore not Life ? 



* 



4 



tfr 



•a 




f 



OETICAL 



pi 



EDITATIONS, 



TO THE UESA MAJOR 



ITH what a stately and majestic step 
fe^^i That glorious constellation of* the north 
Treads its eternal circle ! going forth 
Its princely way amongst the stars, in slow 
And silent brightness. Mighty one, all hail ! 
I joy to see thee on thy glowing path 
Walk, like some stout and girded giant — stern, 
Unwearied, resolute, whose toiling foot 
Disdains to loiter on its destined way. 
The other tribes forsake their midnight tract, 
And rest their weary orbs beneath the wave ; 
But thou dost never close thy burning eye, 
Nor stay thy steadfast step. But on, still on, 
While systems change, and suns retire, and worlds 
Slumber and wake, thy ceaseless march proceeds. 
The near horizon tempts to rest in vain. 
Thou, faithful sentinel, dost never quit 
Thy long appointed watch ; but, sleepless still, 
Dost guard the fixed light of the universe, 
And bid the north for ever know its place. 

Ages have witnessed thy devoted trust, 
Unchanged, unchanging. When the sons of God 



*&- 



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n:r 



303 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



^ 



i- 



Sent forth that shout of joy which rang through heaven. 

And echoed from the outer spheres that bound 

The illimitable universe, thy voice 

Joined the high chorus ; from the radiant orbs 

The glad cry sounded, swelling to His praise, 

"Who thus had cast another sparkling gem, 

Little, but beautiful, amid the crowd 

Of splendours that enrich His firmament. 

As thou art now, so wast thou then the same. 

Ages have rolled their course, and time grown gray ; 

The earth has gathered to her womb again, 

And yet again, the myriads that were bora 

Of her uncounted, unremembered tribes. 

The seas have changed their beds — the eternal hiils 

Have stooped with age — the solid continents 

Have left their banks — and man's imperial works — 

The toil, pride, strength of kingdoms, which had flung 

Their haughty honours in the face of heaven. 

As if immortal — have been swept away — 

Shattered and mouldering, buried and forgot. 

But time has shed no dimness on thy front, 

Nor touched the firmness of thy tread; youth, strength. 

And beauty still are thine — as clear, as bright, 

As when the Almighty Former sent thee forth. 

Beautiful offspring of His curious skill, 

To watch earth's northern beacon, and proclaim 

The eternal chorus of eternal Love. 

I wonder as I gaze. That stream of light, 
rndiramed, unquenched, — just as I see it now. 
Has issued from those dazzling points, through years 
That go back far into eternity. 
Exhaustless flood ! for ever spent, renewed 
Tor ever ! Yea, and those refulgent drops, 
Which now descend upon my lilted *:•; 
Left their far fountain twice three years ago. 
While those winged particles, whose speed out-: 



# 



dEh Eh 

TO THE UBSA MAJOR. 309 



The flight of thought, were on their way, the earth 
Compassed its tedious circuit round and round. 
And, in the extremes of annual change, beheld 
Six autumns fade, six springs renew their bloom. 
80 far from earth those mighty orbs revolve ! 
So vast the void through which their beams descend ! 
Yea, glorious lamps of God ! He may have quenched 
Your ancient flames, and bid eternal night 
Ptest on your spheres : and yet no tidings reach 
This distant planet. Messengers still come 
Laden with your far fire, and we may seem 
To see your lights still burning; while their blaze 
But hides the black wreck of extinguished realms, 
Where anarchy and darkness long have reigned. 

Yet what is this, which to the astonished mind 
Seems measureless, and which the bafSed thought 
Confounds? A span, a point, in those domains, 
Which the keen eye can traverse. Seven stars 
Dwell in that brilliant cluster, and the sight 
Embraces all at once; yet each from each 
Recedes as far as each of them from earth. 
And every star from every other burns 
Xo less remote. From the profound of heaven. 
Untravelled even in thought, keen, piercing rays 
Dart through the void, revealing to the sense 
Systems and worlds unnumbered. Take the glass. 
And search the skies. The opening skies pour down 
Upon your gaze thick showers of sparkling lire — 
Stars, crowded, thronged, in regions so remote. 
That their swift beams— the swiftest things that be — 
Have travelled centuries on their flight to earth. 
Earth, sun, and nearer constellations! What 
Are ye amid this infinite extent 
And multitude of God's most infinite works ! 

And these are suns! — vast, central, living fires. 
Lords of dependent systems, kings of worlds 



qa- — ep 



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310 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



-a 



That wait as satellites upon their power. 

And flourish in their smile. Awake ! my soul, 

And meditate the wonder ! Countless suns 

Blaze round thee, leading forth their countless worlds ! 

Worlds in whose bosoms living things rejoice. 

And drink the hliss of being from the fount 

Of all-pervading Love. What mind can know. 

What tongue can utter, all their multitudes! 

Thus numberless in numberless abodes ! 

Known but to Thee, blessed Father ! Thine they are, 

Thy children, and Thy care— and none overlooked 

Of Thee ! Xo not the humblest soul that dwells 

Upon the humblest globe, which wheels its course 

Amid the giant glories of the sky. 

Like the mean mote that dances in the beam 

Amongst the mirrored lamps, which fling 

Their wasteful splendour from the palace wall, — 

None, none escape the kindness of Thy care ; 

All compassed underneath Thy spacious wing, 

Each fed and guided by Thy powerful hand. 

Tell me. ye splendid orbs! as from your throne 
Ye mark the rolling provinces that own 
Your sway — what beings fill those bright abodes'? 
How formed, how gifted ? what their powers, their state. 
Their happiness, their wisdom ? Do they bear 
The stamp of human nature ? Or has Clod 
Peopled those purer realms with lovelier forms 
And more celestial minds? Does Innocence 
Still wear her native and untainted bloom '.' 
Or has Sin breathed his deadly blight abroad, 
And sowed corruption in those fairy bowers ? 
Has War trod o'er them with his foot of fire? 
And Slavery forged his chains ; and Wrath, and Hate. 
And sordid Selfishness, and cruel Lust. 
Leagued their base bands to tread out light and truth. 
And scatter woe where Heaven had planted joy ? 



"& 



-ff 



tfr 



TO THE URSA MAJOR. 311 



Or are they yet all paradise, unfallen 

And uncorrupt? existence orre long joy, 

Without disease upon the frame, or sin 

Upon the heart, or weariness of life — 

Hope never quenched, and age unknown, 

And death nn feared ; while fresh and fadeless youth 

Glows in the light from God's near throne of love ? 

Open your lips, ye wonderful and fair ! 
Speak, speak ! the mysteries of those living worlds 
Unfold ! — No language ? Everlasting light, 
And everlasting silence ? — Yet the eye 
May read and understand. The hand of God 
Has written legibly what man may know, 
The glory of the makes. There it shines. 
Ineffable, unchangeable ; and man, 
Bound to the surface of this pigmy globe, 
May know and ask no more. Tn other days. 
When death shall give the encumbered spirit wings. 
Its range shall be extended ; it shall roam. 
Perchance, amongst those vast mysterious spheres, 
Shall pass from orb to orb, and dwell in each 
Familiar with its children— learn their laws 
And share their state, and study and adore 
The infinite variety of bliss 
And beauty, by the Hand of power divine 
Lavished on all its works. Eternity 
Shall thus roll on with ever fresh delight; 
No pause of pleasure or improvement; world 
On world still opening to the instructed mind 
An unexhausted universe, and time 
But adding to its glories. While the soul, 
Advancing ever to the Source of light 
And all perfection, lives, adores, and reigns 
In cloudless knowledge, purity, and bliss ' 



tg m 



c& 



512 



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POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



A SUMMEK EVENING'S MEDITATION". 



" One sun by clay, by night ten thousand shine." 

Young. 




IS past! The sultry tyrant of the south 
Has spent his short-lived rage ; more grateful hours 
JfegS) Move silent on; the skies no more repel 

The dazzled sight, but with mild maiden beams 
Of tempered lustre, court the cherished eye 
To wander o'er their sphere ; where hung aloft 
Dian's bright crescent, like a silver bow 
New strung in heaven, lifts high its beamy horns 
Impatient for the night, and seems to push 
Her brother down the sky. Fair Yenus shines 
Even in the eye of day ; with sweetest beam 
Propitious shines, and shakes a trembling flood 
Of softened radiance from her dewy locks. 
The shadows spread apace : while meekened Eve, 
Her cheek yet warm with blushes, slow retires 
Thro' the Hesperian gardens of the west, 
And shuts the gates of day. "Tis now the hour 
When Contemplation, from her sunless haunts, 
The cool damp grotto, or the lonely depth 
Of unpierced woods, where wrapt in solid shade 
She mused away the gaudy hours of noon, 
And U-d on thoughts unripened by the sun. 
Moves forward ; and with radiant finger points 
To von blue concave swelled by breath divine, 



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A SUMMER EVENING'S MEDITATION. 313 



Where, one by one, the living eyes of heaven 

Awake, quick kindling o'er the face of ether 

One boundless blaze; ten thousand trembling fires, 

And dancing lustres, where the unsteady eye, 

Restless and dazzled, wanders unconfin'd 

O'er all this field of glories; spacious field, 

And worthy of the Master : He, whose hand 

With hieroglyphics elder than the Nile 

Inscribed the mystic tablet ; hung on high 

To public gaze, and said, Adore, man ! 

The finger of thy God. From what pure wells 

Of milky light, what soft o'erflowing urn, 

Are all these lamps so fill'd? these friendly lamps, 

For ever streaming o'er the azure deep 

To point our path, and light us to our home. 

How soft they slide along their lucid spheres ! 

And silent as the foot of time, fulfil 

Their destined courses. Nature's self is hushed, 

And, but a scattered leaf, which rustles thro 1 

The thick-wove foliage, not a sound is heard 

To break the midnight air ; tho' the raised ear, 

Intensely listening, drinks in every breath. 

How deep the silence, yet how loud the praise ! 

But are they silent all ? or is there not 

A tongue in every star, that talks with man, 

And woos him to be wise ? nor woos in vain : 

This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, 

And Wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars. 

At this still hour the self-collected soul 

Turns inward, and beholds a stranger there 

Of high descent, and more than mortal rank ; 

An embryo God ; a spark of fire divine, 

Which must burn on for ages, when the sun, — 

Fair transitory creature of a day ! — 

Has closed his golden eye, and wrapt in shades 

Forgets his wonted journey thro' the east. 

^ — EP 



cB — ^ *~Eb 

314 POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



Ye citadels of light, and seats of Gods ! 
Perhaps my future home, from whence the soul, 
Revolving periods past, may oft look back, 
"With recollected tenderness, on all 
The various busy scenes she left below. 
Its deep laid projects and its strange events, 
As on some fond and doting tale that sooth' d 
Her infant hours— ! be it lawful now 
To tread the hallow'd circle of your courts. 
And with mute wonder and delighted awe 
Approach your burning confines. Seiz'd in thought. 
On fancy's wild and roving wing T sail. 
From the green borders of the peopled earth, 
And the pale moon, her duteous fair attendant : 
From solitary Mars ; from the vast orb 
Of Jupiter, whose huge gigantic bulk 
Dances in ether like the lightest leaf; 
To the dim verge, the suburbs of the system, 
Where cheerless Saturn 'midst his wat'ry moons 
Girt with a lucid zone, in gloomy pomp, 
Sits like an exiled monarch : fearless thence 
I launch into the trackless deeps of space, 
"Where, burning round, ten thousand suns appear. 
Of elder beam, which ask no leave to shine 
Of our terrestrial star, nor borrow light 
From the proud regent of our scanty day ; 
Sons of the morning, first-born of creation, 
And only less than Him who marks their track. 
And guides their fiery wheels. Here must I stop, 
Or is there aught beyond ? What baud unseen 
Impels me onward thro' the glowing orbs 
Of habitable nature, far remote, 
To the dread confines of eternal night. 
To solitudes of vast unpeopled space, 
The deserts of creation, wide and wild ; 
Where embryo systems and unkindlcd suns 

03 ■ S 1 



c£h — -Rj 

A SUMMER EVENING'S MEDITATION. 315 



Sleep in the womb of chaos ? fancy droops, 

And thought astonish'd stops her bold career. 

But Thou mighty mind ! whose powerful word 

Said, Thus let all things be, and thus they were, 

Where shall I seek Thy presence ? how unblamed 

Invoke Thy dread perfection ? 

Have the broad eye-lids of the morn beheld Thee ? 

Or does the beamy shoulder of Orion 

Support Thy throne '? ! look with pity down 

On erring, guilty man ; not in Thy names 

Of terror clad ; not with those thunders armed 

That conscious Sinai felt, when fear appalled 

The scatter'd tribes ; — Thou hast a gentler voice,. 

That whispers comfort to the swelling heart, 

Abash'd, yet longing to behold her Maker. 

But now my soul, unused to stretch her powers 
In flight so daring, drops her weary wing, 
And seeks again the known accustomed spot, 
Drest up with sun, and shade, and lawns, and streams, 
A mansion fair and spacious for its guest, 
And full replete with wonders. Let me here, 
Content and grateful, wait the appointed time, 
And ripen for the skies ; the hour will come 
AVhen all these splendors bursting on my sight 
Shall stand unveiled, and to my ravish'd sense 
Unlock the glories of the world unknown. 



t^Af 



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f 



316 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



-a 



ADDRESS TO THE DEITY. 




OD of ruv life ! and Author of my davs ! 
Permit my feeble voice to lisp Thy praise ; 
And trembling, take upon a mortal tongue, 
That hallow'd name to harps of seraphs sung. 
Yet here the brightest seraphs can no more 
Than veil their faces, tremble and adore. 
Worms, angels, men, in every different sphere, 
Are equal all, — for all are nothing here. 
All nature faints beneath the mighty name. 
Which nature's works through all their parts proclaim. 
I feel that name my inmost thoughts control, 
And breathe an awful stillness thro' my soul ; 
As by a charm, the waves of grief subside; 
Impetuous Passion stops her headlong tide : 
At Thy felt presence all emotions cease, 
And my hush'd spirit finds a sudden peace, 
Till every worldly thought within me dies, 
And earth's gay pageants vanish from my eyes ; 
'Till all my sense is lost in infinite, 
And one vast object fills my aching sight. 
But soon, alas ! this holy calm is broke ; 
My soul submits to wear her wonted yoke ; 
With shackled pinions strives to soar in vain, 
And mingles with the dross of earth again. 
But He, our gracious Master, kind as just, 
Knowing our frame, remembers man is dust ; 
His spirit, ever brooding o'er our mind, 
Sees the first wish to better hopes inclin'd ; 



■B- 



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ADDRESS TO THE DEITY. ol ( 



Marks the young dawn of every virtuous aim. 
And fans the smoking flax into a flame. 
His ears are open to the softest cry, 
His grace descends to meet the lifted eye ; 
He reads the language of a silent tear, 
And sighs are incense from a heart sincere. 
Such are the vows, the sacrifice I give ; 
Accept the vow, and bid the suppliant live ; 
From each terrestrial bondage set me free : 
Still every wish that centres not in Thee ; 
Bid my fond hopes, my vain disquiets cease. 
And point my path to everlasting peace. 

If the soft hand of winning Pleasure leads 
By living waters, and through flowery meads, 
When all is smiling, tranquil, and serene, 
And vernal beauty paints the flattering scene, 

! teach me to elude each latent snare, 
And whisper to my sliding heart — Beware ! 
With caution let me hear the syren's voice. 
And doubtful, with a trembling heart, rejoice. 
If friendless in a vale of tears I stray. 
Where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way. 
Still let my steady soul Thy goodness see, 
And with strong confidence lay hold on Thee : 
With equal eye my various lot receive, 
Resigned to die, or resolute to live ; 
Prepar'd to ki>s the sceptre or the rod. 
While God is seen in all. and all in God. 

I read His awful name, emblazoned high 
With golden letters on the illumined sky ; 
Nor less the mystic characters I see 
Wrought in each flower, inscribed on every tree : 
In every leaf that trembles to the breeze, 

1 hear the voice of God among the trees ; 
With Thee in shady solitudes I walk. 
With Thee in busy crowded cities talk, 

i & 



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318 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



"ft 



In every creature own Thy forming power, 
In each event Thy providence adore. 
Thy hopes shall animate my drooping soul, 
Thy precepts guide me, and Thy fears control. 
Thus shall I rest, unmoved by all alarms, 
Secure within the temple of Thine arms, 
From anxious cares, from gloomy terrors free, 
And feel myself omnipotent in Thee. 

Then, when the last, the closing hour draws nigh, 
And earth recedes before my swimming eye; 
When trembling on the doubtful edge of fate 
I stand, and stretch my view to either state : 
Teach me to quit this transitory scene 
With decent triumph, and a look serene; 
Teach me to fix my ardent hopes on high, 
And having lived to Thee, in Thee to die. 




k- 



rfl— ft 

ODE. 319 



ODE. 

" Mourn not, therefore, child of immortality ; for the spoiler, the cruel spoiler, 
that laid waste the works of God is subdued : Jesus hath conquered Death. 
Child of immortality! mourn no longer." 




First Voice. 
TBIKE, strike, my lyre, the solemn notes of woe, 
For all that's fair is fleeting, here below. 
Swifter than April gleams they pass away, 
The joys, the hopes, that rise but to decay. 

They seem our own, 

We know no fear, 

But they are gone 

For ever here, — 
Our life's long hopes, our purest joys, all withered in a day !" 



Second Voice. 
u Yet there is gladness round ; 

Why list we only to the voice of sorrow ? 
Hark ! that full joyous sound ! 

Sweet child, so gay, so thoughtless of the morrow, 
turn on me thy smile ; 

The sunny promise of a day so bright, 
Let it my soul beguile, 

And shed on me its hope, its love, its light ; 
Yes ! let it banish dismal care and sorrow's gloomy night. 

"And hark ! the voice of Spring ! 
It sounds full cheerily ; 
The blithe young greenwoods sing 
Merrily, merrily ! 

4_ _rj] 



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320 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



LD 



L 



And see the buds all opening fair and bright. 

Promise of loveliest flowers ; 
And see the trees all decked in virgin white, 
Gladdening the bridal bowers : 
'tis a world of life and love ! a joyous world is ours ! 

" And there is many a fair young form 
Too bright to die ; 
And strong and high 
Beats many a heart with feelings warm ; 
And there are heads round which the laurels twine 

In earliest youth ; 
There are blest spirits hallowed at the shrine 
Of holy truth : 
these are lovelier far than Spring, these cannot fade and fly. 

First Voice. 
11 Thus may'st thou sing whose springtide hour is bright, 
On whom no wintry storms as yet have burst, — 
Who hast not seen cold Autumn shed his blight 
On beauties Spring and Summer hours had nurst. 
Now Hope is round thee — 

Soon she'll fly ; 
Sorrow hath found me — 
Let me sigh ; 
Stay not my dirge of grief for joys that quickly fade and fly. 

<c Once, too, for me the laughing day 
Shed sweets around ; 
Life was in all most bright and gay ; 

Too soon I found 
That Death is in the world ; his gloomy pall 

Once seen is ever near, 
And coldly sheds its ghastly shade on all, 
Filling the soul with fear, 
And telling us our dearest joys, our highest hopes, must fall. 



-B 1 



a- 



ODE. 321 



" Why does that mother always mourn, nor raise her drooping 

'eye? 
Why does a cloud o'ershadow all, and never pass her by? 
Her morning star is hid in gloom, 
Her daughter sunk into the tomb ! 
Why does that matron grieving sit within her palace-gate, 
Xor heed, while years roll tedious on, her noble mansion's 

state ? 
Her thoughts are ever in the grave, her only hope and trust, 
Soon with her husband and her son to mingle dust with dust. 
gloomy is this narrow vale ! sad— sad is mortal fate ! 

" Yes ! there hath been a gladness in my soul 
Like that of infancy ; 
Now nought but gloomy sorrows round me roll — 

I've lost its buoyancy ! 
Once in my heart young hopes were gay and fair, 
Like bright leaves springing, 
Like sweet bells singing, 
But never more shall happiness be there ; 
Deep sorrow ever o'er me broods, and dark corroding care." 

Third Voice. 
" Thou sorrowing child of dust, why grieves thy heart 
That earthly charms depart ? 
When the green earth its choicest treasures brings, 

It tells of heavenly springs ; 
The dying year touches with brightest hues 

The drooping trees and flowers, 
^'hich in our souls the blessed thoughts infuse 
Of ever sunny hours, 
V- here the blest Tree of Life shall bloom and be for ever ours. 

" Ken when Death circles in his icy arms 
All that thou hast most dear, 
And from our sight vanish all earthly charms. 
A heavenly hope is near. 

4 — i Er 1 



tfr 



229 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



■a 



Faith gilds the mists of human feeling, 
Love glows more brightly near the tomb ; 
Peace in the sorrowing bosom stealing, 
Sheds light amidst the thickest gloom, 
All to the prayerful soul a glimpse of brighter worlds revealing. 

11 Such was the faith that cheered the dying bed 
As o'er her son the mother bent, 
And soothed with tender love his drooping head, 
On whom her fondest hopes were lent. 
1 These sufferings of a day 
Soon, soon shall pass away, 
And I shall see my clear ."Redeemer's face : 
My mother ! follow me to that blest place, 
And let us all together share our Heavenly Father's grace !' 

" And would that mother call to earth her son 
To share the toils of life's perplexing way ? 
No ! Though in grief her course she now must run, 
And o'er his vacant place her tears will stray, 
Religion's soft control 
Illumes her inmost soul ; 
In hopeful trust she says, ' Thy will is best, 
My Father ! Be Thy Name for ever blest : 
I would not take mv son again from his eternal rest.' 



h 



" Death blights not, chills not, but awakes 
The heart's immortal, pure desires ; 
O'er the dark vale a glory breaks 

From Heaven, to which the soul aspires. 
I've seen the wife and mother dying, 
All her fair earthly visions flying ; 
Yet as her life was ebbing fast, 
These accents were her last, — 
Mv Father ! 'tis a glorious morn — all, all is bright within 



-ff 



lD ' ~ Eb 

ode. 323 



" Live in the power of an eternal life ! 

'Twas thus the Saviour, dwelling still on earth, 
O'ercame its cares and sorrows, toil and strife ; 

And thus his followers of the second birth, 
To whom immortal hopes and joys are given, 

Fear not to die ; 
The holy ties of earth can ne'er be riven, 
For soon on high 
The ransom'd shall with Christ partake their purer bliss in heaven. 

41 Let Hope and Joy kindle their fairest rays 
In all that's lovely here, 
Faint earnest of a brighter blaze 

In the celestial sphere. 
Let Pain and Sorrow shade the dazzled sight, 
Unused to such excess of light : 

Death draws the veils aside 
Which endless glories hide, 
And opens to the faithful soul its high, eternal home ! M 

1836. 









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324 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



■a 



A S P I E A T I X. 



#1 

n K N^ AED and upward. Heavenly Father, bear me. 

Onward and upward, raise me to my Home! 
Onward and upward, be Thou ever near me. 
Where my blessed parents beckon me to come. 



With Thy holy spirit. do Thou renew me. 

Cleanse me from all that turneth me from Thee ; 
Guide me and guard me. lead me and subdue me, 

Till I love not all that centres not in Thee. 




Thou hast filled my soul with brightness and with beauty, 
Thou hast made me feel the sweetness of Thy love, — 

Purify my heart, devote me all to duty. 
Sanctify me wholly for Thy realms above. 

Holy, heavenly Parent of this earth-born spirit ! 

Onward and upward bear it to its Home. 
With Thy first-born Son eternal joys t' inherit. 

Where my blessed lost ones beckon me to come. 



1848. 



■» 



■ff 



DEDICATION. 32o 



4h- 



DEDICATION. 




Thee, my God, to Thee, 
Teach me to live ; 
To Thee my God, to Thee, 
All would T give. 

Whate'er I hold most dear 

I would resign ; — 

Sure I have nothing here, — 

All mine is Thine. 

What most my soul doth prize 
The least is mine ; — 

Nought that is holy dies, 
For it is Thine ! 

The life that came from Thee 

Can never die; — 
Teach me to yield it Thee, 

Without a sigh ! 

For still my heart doth cling 
To what is fair: — 

Heavenward my spirit wing, 
And fix it there. 



w 



iff 



326 



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POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



1849. 



Bear all that most I love 
To heavenly rest ; 

Bear Thou my soul above, 
And make it blest. 

My all, God, to Thee 
I would resign ; 

O fix my heart on Thee, 
I would be Thine. 



JOY. 




u ln Thy: prsasnse is fittaess xxf jxxtj." 



OY ! whence art thou ? Not of human birth, 
Though dwelling still on Earth ; 
Thou flutterest here and there with restless wing, 
Waiting towards Heaven to spring. 

I've seen thee sporting with the laughing child, 

So frolicksome and wild ; 
He thought that thou wast his— but thou wast gone, 

And he was left alone. 



I saw bright youths in the gay springtide time, 

Life's hopeful glowing prime; 
Thou madest for them all around so fair, 

They knew not grief was there. 



>B- 



# 



eFh ~ Eb 

joy. 327 



And rauch I feared when thou thy flight did'st take, 

Their very hearts would break ; 
"But thou hadst given them words of promise sweet, 

" Full shortly we shall meet." 



1839. 



1849. 



t- 



Thou hoverest soon near one with drooping head, 

Weeping his sister dead ; 
He saw thee not, but felt thy heavenly breath, 

And sweetness found in death. 

And then I saw that bright one faint and dying ; 

Life's springtide days fast flying; 
But tender love was round his suffering bed, 

And soothed his aching head. 

And near him lay Spring's freshest, fairest flowers, 

That told of happier hours ; 
Their beauty cheered his wearing pains awhile, 

And sweetly did he smile. 

For thou wast near; — no more with flitting wing 

Threatening away to spring; 
But with thy Heaven-born sisters, Faith and Love, 

To waft his soul above. 

Blessed and beautiful ! I know thee now, 

By thy calm radiant brow ! 
Thou earnest from God's own eternal throne, 

To mark us as His own ! 



-# 



a- 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



-a 



S O B B W 




«4|!^ LOVE thee, Sorrow, twin Sister of Jot, with thy 
downcast eve, from which gleam upwards bright 
glances mid thv falling tears ! 

They that live without God in the world love 
thee not, — know thee not ; — they discern thee not 
from that earth-born sorrow which stirs within 
them thoughts of bitterness, which clouds their vision with 
impenetrable mists of dark brooding, which chains them to 
the seen and temporal, and then with a stern and cruel 
hand tears it from them, — which worketh death. But 
THor ! How shall I speak with mortal tongue thy heavenly 
beauty ? 

Thou didst touch with gentle hand the glad child. He 
had but glimpsed before the twilight haze in which thou 
hidest thyself from the gay, busy world, — and he feared it, 
for he knew not what awful form was behind it, and he 
loved nothing but what was bright as his young heart, and 
full of springing life like his fresh spirit. But thou didst 
clasp him lovingly in thy arms, and whisper to him of a 
fairer garden than that he delighted in, with sweeter 
flowers ; — of a more beautiful world, — of a happier home. 
And when he wept at the first cold touch of Death, thou 
didst show him blessed spirits that dwell with the Saviour, 
and that can never change ; thou didst tell him of Heaven. 
So he loved thee, for lie felt that thou earnest from the 



W 



a- 



ROW. - i 



Home of his spirit, to bring him a message from his 
Father, and he never forgot thy heavenly visit to him. 

Thy beautiful Sister. Joy, oft precedes thee. A: times 
she joins together two young spirits, and earth seems 
heave:: to them. Joy has ever something in her radiant 
eye that tells she is not of this world: but ye* she hi I 
wings from them, and th :-y thought that she was their- : i 
ever. ?r she "as. but not l.ert. For soon she became 
invisible, and there was only one, instead rf two, and thou 
wast by the mourner ! Yet gentle were thy miniatrati as, 
Oh Borrow, to the lone one. Thy Sister had hid her 
wings: — thine were mtspread softly to -hade the grieving 
one from the world's srlare, and to be ready to bear her 
too aloft when her hour should come. She saw that thou 
wast from Heaven, and she loved thy gentle, pensive look 
that told her of her lost one, and where he was ; — she w a 
refreshed by the dew droppings from thy wings, which 
revived her fainting spirit ; and with thy tender hand 
guiding hri 1 . Joy not ~;t:::_ far listant, she went on her 
way. 

But in thick darkness dost thou sometimes visit us frail 
mortals. Ever art thou thy Father's messenger of love, 
but then even thou hast shrunk from thy dreadful I 
and thy hand was icy Dold. Thy blow was very hard, 
though it was in mercy sent. take with the si rs, 

h and L m thou art so awful a visitant. The 

poor sufferer will not perhaps sc them at first : but when 
the midnight gloom is past, when the morning dawns, and 
the Star of Hope beams above the horizon, then -halt thou 
appear in thy true loveliness : then shall the mourner g 
thee reverently as one of the Heavenly Father's Angel 
Messengers. And when the grieving heart is thus humbled. 



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330 POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



then shall the afflicted one see joy also, who cometh in the 
morning after the night of sorrow ; she shall bring with 
her many blessed gifts, and the earth shall no longer seem 
a wilderness, but the passage to Canaan ; — no more the 
Valley of the Tomb, but the Portal of Heaven. 

Then again there are fearful storms in the elements, 
whirlwinds of men's passions, that assail us pilgrims 
through this passage desert. Perchance we have not a 
cave to hide us, nor a rock to shelter us from their fury. 
For a season our eyes are blinded, and we are tossed to and 
fro we know not whither. We prostrate ourselves in the 
dust, that the hot stormy wind may pass over us, and that 
we may gather strength from weakness. We listen — it is 
thy still small voice, Oh Sorrow, that breathes into our 
souls God's holy spirit. We rise and take courage, for we 
see thy form, as one of the Heavenly Messengers, mingling 
even in the thickest affray of the powers of darkness. We 
go boldly on, thou leading us, and midst the wild bowlings 
of the enemy, we hear the sweet accents of Joy, rejoicing 
that through strength divine we have overcome the world. 

Yet even fiercer dangers attack the homeward-bound 
wanderer ; the fiery darts of Satan assail him, his soul is 
pierced, he is torn asunder with inward agony. He cries 
aloud, u Is there none to save? Who shall deliver me 
from this body of death? Oh wretched man that I am!" 
Thou comest to him, Oh Sorrow, and pourest balm into his 
wounded spirit ; thou bedewest his burning eye-balls with 
refreshing tears ; thou anointest him with the softening oil 
of God's grace ; thou givest him to drink the strengthening 
wine of Christ's love. Now he can look up, his face 
beaming with faith and joy and hope. Thou hast healed 
his sores. Oh Sorrow, thou wilt not leave him ; he will 



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SORROW. 331 



have need of thee always while he is here below, for thou 
bringest him a peace the world knoweth not of, that it can 
neither give nor take away. 

Oh Sorrow ! Blessed Messenger from Heaven ! I have 
known thee long and well ! While the light of new life 
was first freshly beaming on my young spirit, I was the 
darling of thy Sister Joy, who tenderly caressed me, and 
imprinted a kiss on my smooth forehead, yet so that no 
one should see it but thou ; it was never worn off even 
when that forehead was wrinkled with cares, and seemed 
old while still young ; — I scarce remember those early 
days. Then thou, who hadst seen the token on me, didst 
flutter near me in many different forms, and sometimes 
overshadow my sun with thick gloom. But I always knew 
thee to be a Heavenly Messenger, and never tried to shun 
thee, for I trusted that thou wouldst bring with thee thy 
Sisters, Faith and Hope ; — I had not learnt yet that Joy is 
thy twin Sister. When Death's angel bore away from me 
my beloved one, my Father, then thou earnest to me with 
all thy Sisters to comfort me, and after the first gloom of 
natures' s deep anguish, I saw thee, as thou wast, in all 
thy beauty. Thou didst not fold down thy wings, for thou 
knewest that I should never wish thee to leave me ; thy 
breath was my life, for with it I seemed to be with my lost 
one. Thus be with me ever, Oh long beloved, till Death's 
angel summons me also ; then, with thy Sisters round 
thee, bear me aloft on outspread wings, into the Heavenly 
Father's presence ; then, when he receives me as His own 
child, shall I behold thee bright and beautiful as thy twin 
Sister, Joy, among the Ministering Spirits of God's eternal 
throne, whom He sends to bring us to Himself! 
1849. 



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332 



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POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



: J^s shall gitre Ijlis J-ngels charge canxsramg ths£. 
tti tear thsa trfx/' 



1854. 




HEY bear me up, Father, unto Thee, 
That blessed angel band, — 
They bear me up, till I shall come to Thee, 
In Thine own Better Land. 

They bear me up ! O Father, bright I see 
Those much loved, long loved forms, — 
Though hid from mortal view, full clear to me, 
To guide me midst life's storms. 

It is because their life is hid with Thee, 

And Thou art in my soul, 
That thus their augel presence is with me, 

While sorrows round me roll ! 



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THE DEPAETED. 




HE veil of death hides thee from mortal sight, 
Friend ever dear ; — 
It opens thine to pure celestial light, 
Eternal, clear. 

Long tried and faithful servant ! Thou didst run 

A weary race ! 
The distant crown is reached! Thy crown is won ! 

Thy resting place ! 



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THE DEPARTED. 333 



Thy Lord well knew in weakness thou wast strong, 

And on thee laid 
A burden of rich gifts, to use them long, 

E'en as He bade. 

How thou didst strive to spend the treasure well 

So largely given, — 
How constant toil, no mortal tongue can tell, — 

'Tis known in Heaven. 

Midst blighted joys thou trodd'st thy path of youth, 

Midst griefs thy prime; — 
But thou didst glean from all eternal truth, 

Vanquishing time. 

Thence it would seem thou hadst received a dower 

Of strength and love ; — 
And thy pure soul shed forth a wondrous power 

Drawn from above. 

Thy toils of life are o'er, for thou didst hear 
A heavenly voice, — 
" Thy life on earth is ended, — stay not here !" 
Thou didst rejoice ! 

Why should we grieve that the poor suffering clay 

Holds thee no more ; — 
That from earth's trials thou art borne away 

To Canaan's shore. 

Yet, friend beloved, our tears must warmly flow 

That thou art gone ! 
An awful void is nigh us here below, 

We feel alone. 

13e near us yet, — because thou art with God, 

Be with us still! 
And help us on to do, on life's rough road, 

I860. Our Father's will. 

■ 

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334 POETICAL MEDITATION* 



~9 



N E A B E B T <:> THEE , 




EAREB. djv God. :: Thee. 

Nearer :: Thee 1 
E'en though it be a cross 

That raiseth me : 
Still all my song shall be, — 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee ! 

Though, like the wanderer, 
The sun gone down, 

Darkness be oyer me, 
My rest a stone ; 

Yet in my dreams, I'd be 

Nearer, ~-~ Gk :. :: Thee, 
Nearer :: Thee. 



1 

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There let the way appear 

Steps unto heaven ; 
All that Thou sendest me, 

In mercy given ; 
Angels to beckon me 
Neai my :od, to Thee, 

Nearer to Th 

Then with my waking thoughts, 

Bright 
Out of mj 

tfael Til raise; 






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THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT. 



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So by my woes to be 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee. 

Or if on joyful wing 

Cleaving the sky, 
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, 

Upwards I fly : 
Still all my song shall be, — 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 

Nearer to Thee ! 



This is my. tnmmantliueiit. that jjb tare one amrtfter, 
as I havB tared jpxtr." — Jrjhrx xtr., 12. 




PIPJT of love, that shrined in Jesus shone, 

As shone God's presence o'er the hallowed ark. 
Thou glorinest all thou beamest on, 

Robing in beauty what was cold and dark ; 
And as from our bright fire full many a spark 
Floats on the air. and kindling where it falls, 
New light and warmth from all around it calls, 

While awe-struck crowds its course resistless mark. 
So thou, supreme in lovliness and might, 

By Jesus brought on earth, from heart to heart 
Rapidly passing, hllest all with light, 

And warmth, and holiness ; nor dost depart, 
But rising with undying flame above, 
Point'st to the throne of Him whose holiest name is Love. 



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336 



POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



" ^trio's with us" — Lute xxiu\, 
Jahrr xix,, 23, 



29. 




BIDE with me ! Fast falls the eventide ; 
The darkness thickens : Lord ! with me abide ; 
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, 
Help of the helpless, abide with me ! 

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day ; 
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away; 
Change and decay in all around I see : 

Thou who changest not, abide with me ! 

Not a brief glance T beg, a passing word, 
But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord — 
Familiar, condescending, patient, free, 
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me ! 

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings, 
But kind and good, with, healing in thy wings; 
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea ; 
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me ! 

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile, 
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile, 
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left thee : 
On to the close, Lord, abide with me ! 

1 need thy presence every passing hour; 

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power? 
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be ? 
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me ! 



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LEAD THOU ME OX. 



337 



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I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless ; 
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. 
Where is death's sting ? where, grave, thy victory ? 
I triumph still, if thou abide with me ! 

Reveal thyself before my closing eyes, 
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; 
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee ; 
In life, in death, Lord ! abide with me. 



LEAD THOU ME ON. 




EAD, kindly Light, amid the circling gloom, 

Lead thou me on ! 
The night is dark, and I am far from home, 

Lead thou me on! 
Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
The distant scene, — one step enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou 

Shouldst lead me on ! 
I loved to choose and see my path ; but now, 

Lead thou me on ! 
I loved the glittering day, and, spite of fears, 
Pride ruled my will ; remember not past years. 

So long thy power hath kept me, sure it still 

TA'ill lead me on, 
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone; 
And with the morn those angel faces smile 
Which I have loved Ions; since, and lost awhile. 



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338 POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



A HYMK" OF PRAISE. 




RAISE ye the Lord ! Praise, ye servants of the 
Lord, praise the name of the Lord. 

Whilst we live will we praise the Lord: 
we will sing praises unto our God while we have 
any being. 

When we awake in the morning refreshed 
with sleep ; when we behold the goodly light of the sun, 
and go forth to peform the duties, and to enjoy the comforts 
of the day : — our voice of thanksgiving shalt Thou hear in 
the morning, Lord. 

When Thou makest darkness and it is night ; when we 
lie down on our bed in peace ; then will we call to mind 
the blessings of the day, and praise Thee, our God, who 
hast provided sleep for man. 

When all nature smiles around us ; when the earth is 
covered with verdure, and the trees with blossoms ; when 
the birds warble their notes in Thy praise, and innumerable 
creatures exult in Thy goodness : — we also will join the 
chorus of nature, and testify that Thou art great and wise, 
that Thou art kind and faithful. 

And in the barren months of winter, when the fields and 
the woods rejoice no longer, when the tuneful birds are 
silent, and many creatures are buried in forgetfulness : — 
then our souls shall not forget Thee, nor shall our lips be 

"6- — -S 3 



f 



HYMN OF PRAISE. 



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silent in Thy praise ; for Thou crownest every season of the 
year with Thy goodness. 

AVhen Thou fillest our cups with the blessings of life, 
and the voice of health and gladness is heard in our 
dwellings ; when our path is pleasant, our prospects cheer- 
ing, and our spirits lively: — then they shall be employed 
in showing forth Thy praises, our God ! for we dwell in 
the light of Thy countenance. 

And when months of vanity and wearisome nights are 
appointed to us ; when darkness encompasses the path in 
which we go, and dejection hangs upon our minds ; when 
we can neither enjoy the blessings of life, nor indulge 
those lively affections towards Thee, our Maker, which we 
wish to indulge : — even then will we praise Thee by sub- 



mission and resignation to Thy will. 

Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall 
fruit be in the vines : though the labour of the olive shall 
fail, and the fields yield no meat ; though the flock shall be 
cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
stalls : — yet will we rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God 
of our salvation. 

Amidst all the changes of this mortal life, and amidst 
all the various dispensations of Thy providence : — in all 
things will we give thanks and praise Thy name. 

TVhilst we live will we praise the Lord ; and when we 
draw near to the gates of death ; when these hands, which 
have been lifted up to Thee, shall be motionless, and the 
tongues which have declared Thy praises shall be silent ; — 
still will we praise Thee, our Heavenly Father ! in our 
thoughts ; and this shall be the grateful song of our hearts : 
14 Thanks be unto God who giveth lls the victorv through 
our Lord Jesus Christ/' But the grave shall not put 

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340 POETICAL MEDITATIONS. 



an end to our songs of thanksgiving : we will sing praises 

onto our God while we have any being : and blessed be 
Thy name. Thou fountain of life, our being will never 
cease. When our voice is entirely lost in death, and our 
mortal powers are no longer active : then with more noble 
powers, and in heavenly strains, will we praise Thee, our 
God, and this shall be our grateful song : " Thou didst lead 
us forth by the right way to Thine heavenly kingdom." 

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksodvino;, and 
honour and power and might, be ascribed unto Thee our 
God for ever and ever. Amen and Amen. 



•• After this raamipr. thrrpforp. nrau up: — 

Ol^K Fatter, trbith art in Bparpn. baUmrpd up- 
tlru- naiiiB. Thu liiniidtini camp. Thu trill lip 
dan? in partb. as it is in Bparprt. l>irp us this 
day rror dailu- brpad. And targiu« us nur trespasses 
as xce fanjirp thpm that trespass against us. And 
lead us ntrt intn temptation : hut deliver us mint 
mul : far thin? is tfre hiniidmn. Ore power, and 
the ^lnru. fnr prpr and prpr. Ampn." 

flNIS 



.U^ROWCMITH, PRINTER, 



